No Fate
by Dark Ranger33
Summary: A boy orphaned when his father dies in the operation to retake wall Maria. Joins the cadet corps to become a military police officer so he can avenge his father's death by assassinating King Fritz, but his plans change when he gets to know a certain female titan shifter.
1. No Fate- 1, Goodbye

"listen to me son, I have to go and I probably won't be coming back." A middle-aged man said to a boy, they both had somber expressions on their faces.

"W-what do you mean not coming back?" the boy asked tears welling in his eyes. The father knelt down and put a hand on his shoulder.

"The government has ordered me and hundreds of others to fight a retake wall, Maria," he lowered his eyes, tears started down his cheek, "Were taking our home back Chase!" he hated lying to his son.

Chase knew it was a lie, just a lie to make him feel better. They knew what 'it' was, they all did, just a clever ploy devised by the crown to thin the population, so the rich didn't have to give up their second helping. So they could fill their fat guts with more food than what they needed to survive with. Meanwhile, refugees like him were starving and were at more threat from the Titans.

The man sniffled, "I've made arrangements and pulled a few favors, my employer will allow you to stay with them till you turn fourteen."

' _By employer, he was referring to Mr. Ford, he was a mean bastard that worked my father to the bone ever since the fall of Maria. He must have owed my father a hell of a favor if he was taking me in' Chase thought._ "But Mr. F..." Chase was cut off by a yell.

"Hey you, times up, form up on the outside of the gate!" A Soldier called to his father.

Chase's father looked back at him, "J-just a second!" He ran a hand down his exhausted face, "Bastard," he said under his breath. He turned back to his son, "here son take this." His father pulled out a silver necklace with two gold rings hanging from them. "These were mine and your mother's wedding rings." He gave a sad smile, "T-they are yours now, find a pretty girl and give her one for me ok?" He chuckled sadly then patted him on the cheek.

"Hustle up now!" the soldier called again, the man hugged his son tightly, "goodbye son"

Chase watched as his father walked through the closing gate. He wondered if he would ever see him again, "goodbye dad."

-X-X-X-

He sat there slumped against a wall as a carriage rolled up beside him, the driver stopped.

The driver cleared his throat, "Mr. Holt I presume?"

Chase looked up towards the driver, "Yes" he murmured, grabbing his bag and standing to his feet. "Who are you?" he asked.

The man sighed as if he would rather be anywhere but here, "I'm Swanson, Mr. Ford's chief foreman, he has sent for you, I am to pick you up and bring you back to the estate."

Chase stood there unsure what to do, "Um..."

"Well come on then!" he Swanson yelled

"Oh ok," he reached for the carriage door handle.

"No!" a lash from the driver's crop lashed out and cut Chase across his face.

"Damn peasant, why you would think riding where Mr. Ford sits is beyond me!"

Chase stepped back in shock, "damn it...," he held the bleeding laceration and felt it with his hand. It seemed the cut stretched from the top of his right eye to the bottom of his top lip. "y-you bastard!" his hands were dripping with blood, "that was unnecessary!"

Swanson gritted his teeth, "And I'll give you another If you don't do as you're told. Now hurry up and get in the back Time's a Wasting."

Chase threw his hands up, "could have said that in the first place!" He yanked the bag onto his shoulder and threw it up into the cargo area of the carriage, then hoisted himself up. With a jolt, the carriage pulled forward.

"Well this is just great," Chase pulled a cloth from his bag and dabbed it, in less than a second it was soaked in crimson, the pain started to set in. "Hell, just what I needed," He sighed.

He leaned against the side of a box and soon drifted off.

The ride to the estate was fairly long in that time he dozed off he didn't know for how long, while he was sleeping the blood dried up and some of if dried over his eye keeping it closed.

When he woke he didn't know where he was, he was surrounded by industrial type buildings, and on the road heading up to a large house, that house was surrounded by smaller buildings. It seemed he was in a part of an industrial district.

A voice stirred him from his thoughts, "you awake boy?" Swanson asked

"barely," he said rubbing his eyes trying to clear them.

"Were almost there, when we get there you'll show Mr. Ford the best respect you can muster, I know it's hard for you peasants to do, you're lucky he's keeping his promise, you could be laying in a gutter."

As much as he wanted to say something cocky he kept his mouth shut, "yes sir," he murmured.

Soon they came to the estate, it was surrounded by stone walls and an iron gate. The carriage came to a stop after entering, he heard Swanson step off then start to talk to someone.

Chase then stepped off and grabbed his bag, and started over toward the two men.

The two men looked up at him from their conversation. A bigger man in weight that he assumed was Mr. Ford spoke. "So this is the boy huh?" He asked

"Yeah that's him, doesn't look like much does he?" Swanson asked

"He definitely has potential, but we'll have to wait and see." Ford sighed, "this is definitely last time I'll owe one of my workers anything that's for sure." He pulled out a cigar, "say what happened to the brats face?"

Swanson cleared his throat, "that'd be me, sir, he was trying to ride in one of the seats," he looked at Chase with disgust.

"Damn it, Swanson!" Ford looked ready to kill.

' _I_ _s he really going to stand up for me?"_ Chase thought.

" _S_ -sir, you're mad for me hitting him?"

Mr. Ford snorted, "of course not!"

Chase rolled his eyes, _"Of course..."_

"No I'm more concerned for my upholstery, you know how expensive it is!"

"Yes, sir I do, far too expensive for the likes of him to set his filthy ass on." He gave Chase a sly smirk, "I made him ride in the back,"

Ford nodded, "thank you, Swanson, for replacing that would be costly."

"So let me get this straight," Chase started crossing his arms, "you care more about some stupid seats getting dirty rather than an assault committed by one of your men?" Chase shook his head, "arrogant prick." He remarked.

Swanson stepped forward, "you dare talk to Mr. Ford like that?" He pulled the crop he had of his belt, "I told you I'd give you another..." he raised it back to lash him, Ford stopped him and held his hand out.

Swanson realized what he wanted, he handed him the crop. Ford pulled back and made ready to lash him.

Chase moved before the crop hit him, he looked back and Ford already backhanded him, his ring leaving yet another cut on his face, it intersected with the last one, leaving him with a distinct X laceration on his face. Chase pulled back covering it with his hand, he hissed in pain, "Just what I was trying to avoid."

"Ungrateful bastard," Ford lit a cigar after shaking his wrist a few times. "I want you out of my sight, go to the shed behind the house, my maid Rita is waiting."

Chase jerked his bag off the ground and began to walk off till Ford held his arm in his path to stop him. "Get plenty of sleep boy cause tomorrow, I'm gonna have Swanson here work you like a dog.

Chase said nothing as he pushed passed him and continued to the shed. This estate is something, inside wall Sina, gated and full of beautiful shrubbery, statures and decore. He is taking his father's place, and as his father said 'It is a place for those who live there a heaven and the people who work there a hell.'

He reached the large building, and opened the double doors then stepped inside. Various equipment and tools used for lawn care and house upkeep were stored here, there were stairs leading to a second level with more boxes up top. "Hello anyone here?"

There was silence for a few seconds till a voice called back, "Yes up here," a female voice sounded above.

He made his way up and saw an older looking women preparing a cot. She looked behind her and smiled, "you must be Chase," she greeted, her smile turned to a frown when she saw his face.

"That's me, ma'am, miss...?"

"Rita, Rita Kurk. If you don't mind, would you like me to take a look at those cuts you have?"

"Oh.." he put a hand to his face, the pain returning to him, "Y-Yes Rita I would appreciate it."

Rita nodded dusting off her apron, "I'll be back, settle in make yourself comfortable." With that, she left making her way towards the house. Chase slumped on the cot digging through his bag for his personal belongings. He came across a framed picture on it was him his dad and..."mom."

- _Flashback_ -

 _"Chase run!"_

 _"Mom..." Chase looked up to see a five-meter titan pick his mother up._

 _"No, noo put me down you bas..." CRUNCH!_

 _"Lisa nooo!" his father yelled in agony._

 _"No, mom!"_

"Are you alright?" Rita asked coming up the stairs.

Chase shook his head of the memory, "oh uh fine, just fine."

Rita shrugged and sat a steel box on the wooden crate he was using as a nightstand. He looked at the emblem of the Garrison Regiment, etched on the box.

As she opened it he asked, "you were a soldier in the Garrison regiment?"

She pulled out a cotton ball and smiled, "yes I served four years in the Garrison Hospital, as a nurse mostly." She began to dab the cuts in a bottle of alcohol, he felt the wetness and then a burn, he gritted his teeth, "damn."

"Almost done dear..."

"So...how was it, working in the in the Garrison hospitals I mean," he asked

"We dealt with wounded scouts mostly," she paused a sorrowful look coming across her face, " a lot of them didn't make it, unfortunately, I can only Imagine how they manage now especially since the fall of wall Maria." She finished cleaning, "well there's good news and bad news, witch one you wanna hear first?" She asked a smirk across her face.

"Bad I Guess..."

Bad news, they are going to scar, the good news is they only need a few stitches, four each at the max."

Chase chuckled, "that's the good news?" He asked sarcastically.

"Hey it could be a lot worse," she took a needle and thread from the suture kit.

"This has been one of the worst days of my life," Chase said wearily of the needle coming for him.

She hummed a response, "this is gonna hurt a little, best to get it over with."

Chase closed his eyes as it penetrated, she began sewing the wound, "so mind telling me where you got these?"

Chase looked down, "our employers."

She shook her head disapprovingly, "what the hell is wrong with them? Look at you, still a baby!"

"Swanson whipped me because I tried to set in the carriage, didn't even tell me not to at first, I swear the bastard gets off on it."

Rita chuckled, "yes Swanson is a bastard, half the workers here want to slit his throat at night." She cut the last thread and taped a bandage around the stitching, she stood back to look at her handy work.

"Um, hows it look?"

"Like I said it will scar but I'm sure it won't affect your chances with the ladies." She laughed, "besides it could always be worse. Well, I should get back to the house now, still got a few chores to do." She shut the box and began to leave.

"Rita?" Chase called after her.

She turned, "hmm?"

"You have been extremely kind and the nicest person I've met since I've been here...thank you."

She gave a sad smile, "you've been through a lot, its the least I could do." She pointed to a large blanket. "Use that, it gets cold at night, now get some sleep." With that, she left leaving him alone in the loft-like space. He grabbed his blanket and settled into bed. He looked over to the picture of his family...

"Please come back dad, you're the only one I have left..." a tear ran down his cheek soaking into a bandage, soon he dozed off.

 **So hello everyone, this is my first Attack On Titan fanfic, it would be helpful to me if some of you could leave reviews for ideas, improvements for the story and pointers to help me become a better writer. So please leave a review and have a wonderful day!**

 ** _~Dark Ranger_**


	2. No Fate- 2, Hard work

_"Wall Rose get to wall Rose!"_

 _"Don't look back!"_

 _"My husband just got eaten!"_

 _"Help me, no no I don't wanna die!..."_

 _Chase stood there motionless, all around him was death, destruction, chaos...fear._

 _What was left of his mother's corpse laid a dozen meters away, her eyes wide open and mouth agape? The titan who ate her looked down at him, it was smiling and its eyes were trained on him, It started reaching out._

 _'Why can't I move?' The air was filled with a yell._

 _"Ahhhhh!" Before it could grab Chase a Garrison soldier swooped in and cut its nape. The Titan fell causing the ground to shake. He swung back around to grab Chase. He was lifted in the air and carried away, "you okay kid just hold on to me!"_

 _Behind them, more Titans were coming out of the forest._

 _The soldier spoke again this time his voice held anger in it, "get up!"_

 _"W-What?" Chase asked confused._

 _"I said get up brat!" The soldier dropped him he went hurtling to the ground..._

"Ahh!" Chase awoke to find himself on the cold wooden floor. "What the?"

"I won't ask again!"

 _'Oh right...'_

"Get up you lazy bastard!" Swanson yelled

Chase stood to his feet, "I'm up, I'm up?" He looked over to his cot, it had been kicked over, with him on it! "You kick my bed from underneath me?"

"I sure as hell did, here" he threw some workwear to Chase to which he caught.

"I want you outside in ten minutes, we have a long day ahead of us." With that Swanson stepped out of the shed.

"Uh bastard," Chase grumbled while striping and putting the clothes. Chase took a few minutes to clean up his living space.

"Chase you still up there?" Rita's voice asked.

Chase piped up, "yeah be right there." He went downstairs to find Rita holding a tray with eggs and toast on it.

"There you are, I have your breakfast here," she informed setting the tray down. "How did you sleep?" She asked.

"Like a baby till Swanson woke me up," Chase replied before taking a bite. In truth, he didn't sleep too well, especially after his, flashback, dream, nightmare? He's been having them a lot recently. Two years isn't enough time to forget it seems.

"Let me have a look at those stitches." Rita requested, peeling off the once white now faded crimson bandages off. She examined the sutures looking them over. "Everything seems to be in order. She informed taking another roll out and applying a clean dressing.

"Thank you, Rita, I appreciate it."

She smiled, "Any time, be careful at work."

"Yes, ma'am..."

-X-X-X-

"Come on put your back into it, we don't have all day!" Swanson yelled

Chase pulled the plow across the field, it was attached to his back by a harness.

"Uh," he grunted and wiped the sweat from his brow. It was hot and the sun was beating him down. ' _Come on Chase the last stretch, just a few more yards_.'

He finally finished and dragged the plow off the field then looked back at his handiwork. Straight lines all across the large field. Ford must have money to have a field this big, not many people can afford the land to plant crops, considering almost all their farming land had been overrun by the Titans.

' _And with all that money he would rather use a boy to plow his field instead of an animal like I don't know, a horse!'_

He unclasped the harness used to drag the plow and rested his hands on his head, breathing in gaining his breath back.

"I must say brat, I thought you would pass out within ten minutes of dragging that son of a bitch," Swanson said nodding to the plow.

' _Wow no smart ass remark to me_? That's a first. _Hell was that a compliment?_ ' Chase raised an eyebrow in surprise.

Swanson didn't seem to notice he reached down for a bucket, " you're not done yet, you still got to spread all these before nightfall," they both looked to the sun, it was almost sunset. "I'd get to it runt, here!" Swanson shoved the bucket to his chest, it was full of seeds.

Chase sighed and began spreading them out.

Swanson started walking off but stopped, "Oh and if you don't get it done no dinner tonight, heh good luck."

Chase looked to the large field unless the seeds were going to magically plant themselves there is no way he was going to get it done before nightfall. "Fucking prick, does he do this just to be a dick or is he just naturally an asshole? What a farce!" he said aloud.

He grabbed handfuls of seeds and threw them about, the sight of a carriage made him stop, he looked over to the house and it had stopped. The driver got off to open the door. Out stepped a woman who he assumed was Mr. Ford's wife, following behind her was a girl his age. She was..."pretty," he said aloud, she had red shoulder-length hair, and a blue sundress on. Her eyes wandered around as Mrs. Ford spoke to Swanson, she stopped when their eyes made contact, against his better judgment Chase gave a small wave.

She giggled and waved back, which gained the notice of her mother who looked over and wrinkled her nose at him. She caught her wave and started dragging her inside pointing Chase out to Swanson while doing so.

That's when he saw Swanson coming towards him, _'Oh shit.'_

"You, little bastard!" he shouted at him.

"Uh almost done sir?"

"You think a peasant like you can look at a lady like her, I can't believe you even have the gall to wave at her!"

Chase gritted his teeth, "Look asshole, I don't see the big deal, I was just." He didn't finish because Swanson punched him square in the nose, Chase dropped to his knees clutching his bleeding crooked nose.

"There, hopefully, that taught you some respe..." Swanson was cut off as Chase tackled him in the dirt punching him repeatedly, "You like that you son of a bitch!" He screamed. An enraged Swanson kicked him off and rolled over to choke him.

Chase choked as Swanson pressed harder, he pushed Chase further in the mud. Just as Chase thought he was about to pass out the vice on his throat was lifted. Chase leaned up gasping for air.

"Ok, Swanson that's enough." The voice of Mr. Ford called out, "I don't want you killing off my free labor. Chase looked up to see Ford and a few other employees one of which was Rita who had a look of horror on her face.

Swanson punched him a few times in the ribs before standing. He was trying and failing to wipe away the mud on his clothes. "I'm gonna kill the bastard!" He growled.

"The Hell you are, as long as I have a use for him he lives." Ford looked to Chase who was still lying in the muddy field, "Take the boy to the shed, lock him in for a couple of days, if that doesn't teach him nothing will." Ford ordered.

"Now that's what I like to hear!" Swanson said with manic glee.

Chase kicked away from him, "no, no stay away from me you psychopath!" He turned to crawl.

Swanson hoisted him to his feet by the back of his shirt and dragged him off to the shed. Chase kicking and screaming all the while.

"T-This is terrible," Rita protested

Ford looked at her, "the boy needs to be taught a lesson, Rita," he lit a cigar.

"But... sir, he's just a boy.." she started

Ford glared at her, Rita looked down, avoiding his glare.

"Get in there!" Swanson threw Chase in, him hitting the ground hard.

Swanson stood in the doorway the sun going down behind him, he chuckled. "Suns down, you know what that means..." He slammed the door closed. "No grub for you!" He fiddled with a lock till Chase heard a ' _click_ ,' he was locked in now.

"You're a bastard!" Chase yelled

Swanson looked behind him before he walked off, "heh you wouldn't be the first person to call me that." With that, he walked off flicking the mud off himself.

Chase felt his nose it was broken and crooked, only one thing to do... "ok, ok, ok..." ' _crack!'_ "Oh sweet mother of god!" he yelled in pain. He slid down the wall and buried his face in his hands. "Tell me what in the name of the three walls did I do to deserve this life!" He screamed sanity dropping by the second. He stayed like that for he didn't know how long, he was going to pass out till a voice caught his attention.

"Chase," a voice said through the crack in the door.

"W-Whos there?" He stuttered backing closer to the wall looking to see it was a woman. "Rita?"

"No, I'm Emma," the voice said.

It was Ford's daughter, "Oh h-hello."

"Hi." An awkward silence fell between them till she spoke again, "Look I kinda felt like it was my fault you got beat by Swanson, so here..." She gave him a loaf of bread and a cup of water.

"Oh thank you..." he gladly took the items from under the gap in the door. "It wasn't your fault, It was Swanson and you're bastard father...no offense."

She nodded sadly, "I..."

"Emma?" Rita asked behind them.

"Oh, R-Rita! I was just.."

Rita nodded her head, "Its ok honey," She looked over to Chase, shaking her head sadly. "Best let me take a look at you..." Rita fitted with the keys on her ring.

"You have the key to this door?" he asked.

"Yep, that bastard must forget I have a key to almost everything around here... now witch one was it?... Ah!" She slid the key and the lock popped open.

The women walked in and Emma took a seat while Rita began looking him over, Rita took the muddy shirt off and tossed it aside, none of your ribs are broke, she winced when she moved to his, neck. Purple and blue splotches bruised his throat.

"How bad is it?"

She shook her head, "not gonna lie, it looks bad, you can still breathe fine and all that?"

He took a few good breaths then nodded. Soon Rita finished her checkup of him. "Well, all I can say is get some rest dear, but..." she took his hands in hers, "listen I need you to bite your tongue around Swanson, he's an unstable bastard. I-I was afraid he was going to... kill you today."

Chase chuckled dryly, "If I do that he wins."

"There is nothing to win, you just need to survive this place till you turn 14, promise me, you're a good kid, I'm sorry for all that's happened to you. Me and..." she looked back to Emma to which came over to them. "Will help you all we can."

Emma nodded and blushed slightly seeing a shirtless boy for probably the first time in her life. "I'm sorry for causing this..." she apologized again still thinking it was her fault.

Chase waved her off, "told you, wasn't your fault but... thank you, I appreciate it"

"We best be off before anyone discovers us," Rita announced, "I'll sneak you out some breakfast in the morning sweetie, and I'm sorry I'll have to lock the door again if I don't Swanson might find out." She locked the door back, and sighed, "goodnight."

Chase nodded in thanks and understanding, "night." With that the girls left, leaving him alone. He turned his cot over from where Swanson kicked it earlier that morning. He laid down it creaking as he did so.

"Rita is right, I just need to survive this hell..." He looked over the picture focusing on his dad, _'he was the one who put me here, at least I'm not on my own on the streets or god forbid the underground...for what its worth, thanks, dad._ "

A week later is when he learned of his father's death from Rita, Rita was the closest thing he had to a parent left. She held him as he cried, "T-The king did this!" He sobbed.

Rita patted him on the head, "It's ok, shh, shh," she soothed.

"All those fat bastards in Sina, I-I'm gonna kill them all!"

"Come on now don't say things like that..."

Chase looked off in the distance his eyes red and puffy from crying, 's _omeday, I'll have my revenge.'_


	3. No Fate- 3, Intruders

Slowly but surely a year passed by, Chase learned to 'deal' with Ford and Swanson, and by the deal, he meant to do what they say during the day and at night plotted their deaths. He still had nightmares about his father and mother.

It was about a month before his 14th birthday. That was his deadline when Ford would stop his 'wonderful hospitality,' and kick him out.

Chase stood in line with the four other house employees. Ford was explaining all of what he wanted to be done today.

"I want my house spotless once I get back, top to bottom cleaned." He looked over to Rita, "Do I make myself clear?"

Rita nodded that same fake smile Chase had become familiar with over the time he had been here. "Yes, Mr. Ford consider it done."

"Alright then get to it," with that Ford walked out to his carriage.

Rita turned to us, "ok you heard him lets get this over with people." She looked over at Chase and gave a sad smile.

Over the last year, she convinced Ford to have him work in the house instead of working the fields or other hard labor. He didn't how she did it but she did.

"Chase you have upstairs bathrooms and the two guest bedrooms," Rita informed him.

Chase nodded grabbed his supplies and walked upstairs.

Rita turned back to the others to inform them of their tasks.

He went down the hallway and walked past Ford's study, Chase stopped in his tracks.

Mrs. Ford or Rose as he heard her name was walked past him. He stepped to the side and nodded his head in 'respect,' "Ma'am."

"Oh, Chase is it?" She asked

"Yes ma'am"

"I just wanted to let you know to clean the bathrooms better, I don't know if it was you or someone else who cleaned them last time but they were just filthy."

"Don't worry I'll have them spotless once I'm done."

"See to it that you do, now get to it.." With that, she continued downstairs.

' _Bitch,'_ Chase turned back to Ford's study.

The door to his study was cracked open and Chase saw a large oak desk with a leather chair in front of it. He pushed it open more revealing glass cases of weapons that lined the walls with paintings and pictures for decoration.

"Woah..." the cases held weapons ranging from blades and blunt weapons to flintlock pistols and rifles. What caught his eye was a knife with a wooden handle made of walnut.

He looked back toward the door to see if anyone was watching, he opened the case and pulled it out along with the sheath with was made from fine black leather. It also had straps that were made to be put on an ankle.

He proceeded to take it out of the case to examine it more closely, the blade was made of ultra hard steel, ' _same shit ODM blades are made of if I remember right.'_ In all, it was a finely crafted knife and he was going to keep it. He slipped it in his work boots... "heh bastard owes me this much..."

Someone cleared their throat behind him, Chase slowly turned to find Rita to his relief.

"Oh, Rita... I," he started.

Rita shook her head, "Stealing is wrong, even if it's from Ford. Put it back we have work to do."

"Yes, ma'am..." Chase signed as she walked out of the room. Checking to see if she was gone he stuffed it in his boot. 'Sorry, Rita but I'm gonna hang on to this, it's not asking for much considering all the free work I've done here.

"Chase?" Rita called behind her.

"Coming Rita!" Chase closed the door on his way out.

-X-X-X-

"Hey, you sure we're up for this?" A man asked his accomplice. As ford's carriage rode away.

Three figures were gathered around in the shadows of a treeline.

"Don't know why we wouldn't be, remember we kill who we have to kill, but the two girls must be taken alive Ford's wife and daughter. Don't rough them up too bad we're going to need them intact if Fords going to give us that Ransom money for them. All that should be there are maids and the hostages."

"So we ready or what?" Another one spoke behind them.

One sat on a stump while repeatedly throwing a knife into the trunk of a tree before standing up. "Yeah let's get this over with."

"This is gonna be too easy."

The three figures stood from the shadows of the treeline and advanced toward the Ford residence.

-X-X-X-

Chase plunged the sponge into the Soapy bucket of water then slapped it back on the ground beginning scrubbing the bathroom floor again.

He was in Ford's bathroom connecting to his master bedroom.

 _'Heh, no wonder why Fords mad all the time. From the looks of where he pisses the bastards dick must be micro-sized.'_

He ringed the sponge out and dunked it in the bucket once more. Before he could pull it out again he heard something smash downstairs. What followed was a blood-curdling scream.

"Ahhhhh!"

Chase stood abruptly, 'w-was that Rita maybe Emma?'

He made his way to the hallway and overheard voices downstairs.

"Come on we gotta find the daughter!"

"Who do we have so far?"

"The wife..." the intruder was cut off by Mrs. Ford's scream.

"Noooo let me go, don't touch my daughter!..." Chase proceeded to hear a loud _smack!_

"Please, you don't have to do this..." Rita pleaded.

"Both of you bitches better shut up before we kill this one here! She doesn't look too important, next time someone talks I'm slitting her throat!" He must be referring to one of the maids.

"Stop wasting time you idiots! Sid go up and find the girl there shouldn't be anyone else here, now go!"

He heard the stairs creaking indicating someone was coming up.

 _'Shit I'd better think of something fast! Wait wheres Emma?'_ Making his way to her room he slowly opened it. Emma?" Chase whispered out, "Emma you in here?"

A few seconds later he heard a response, "Chase?"

He stepped inside closing the door quietly hearing the intruder enter the hallway outside. "It's me, you gotta hide..."

Emma crawled out from under her bed, "I heard what went on downstairs, what's going on?" Emma asked worry in her voice.

Chase shook his head, "not entirely sure but it sounds like they have Rita, your mother, and the other maids tied up..." He was cut off by a door being kicked open.

"Where are you little bitch!" The man yelled moving on to the next door.

"Hurry to get back under the bed and if anything happens don't make a sound," Chase instructed.

She nodded, "be careful Chase."

Chase didn't respond as he took the knife out of his boot and hid on the left side of the door where it would open.

The door was kicked open, hitting the wall and nearly hitting him in the process. The man walked cautiously in the room, "I know you're in here..." he spoke out.

Chase's grip on the knife tightened, he took a step forward.

"Come out before we hurt mama, trust me it won't be pretty. Heh not like you," The man paused at the foot of Emma's bed, "oh the things were gonna do to you and your mommy before we get your ransom from daddy. Oh don't worry I'll be gentle...," a ghoulish smile formed on his lips, "at first..."

"Ahhh!" Chase lunged forward at the man.

The man began to turn, "what the... ugh!" Chase jabbed the knife in his side, then kicked him to the ground.

The man grabbed his side, "ah... hel-!" Before he could call for help, Chase jumped on top of him and covered his mouth with his hand.

"Sh, shhh," Chase held the knife to his throat, "shh, it will all be over soon..." he proceeded to drag the blade across his throat blood leaking in its wake. Chase stayed there for a few moments, sure that he was dead he stood, wiping the bloody blade on the man's chest.

"C-Chase?" Emma meekly called out.

Calming his breathing he called out, "Yeah its ok.."

She crawled out from underneath her bed and proceeded to hug him. "T-Thank you what he said was..."

"Disgusting? Yeah, but we're not out of the woods yet, w-" Chase was cut off.

"What have you done!"

They both looked over to the doorway and saw another man. He must have snuck up the stairs as they were talking, "shit!" Chase cursed, _'here we go...'_ he ran at the man planning to stab him.

"Oh no, you don't you little shit!" The man kicked him in the stomach and grabbed the knife from him. "Who do you think you are!" He tossed the knife aside and picked Chase up by the throat. "You're gonna pay for what you did to Sid!"

Chase clutched at the man's grasp, "d-do it you fucking piss ant!" Chase's raspy voice spoke.

The intruder threw Chase out into the hallway hitting the wall in the process. Chase leaned up to his knees but before he could get to his feet he felt a hand squeeze the back of his skull.

"Aggh!" He grunted in pain.

"You messed with the wrong people today boy!" The intruder continued to smash Chase's head into the wall then everything went black.

"Heh asshole, he said watching Chase's body slide down the wall leaving a bloody smear on the way down. He turned to Emma's room. "Now as for you pretty lady." The intruder walked toward the dark room, "Its time to come with us, you don't have your boyfriend here to protect you anymore, just come out and w-..."

"Ahhhhh! You bastards!" Emma came out of the darkness screaming, she wielded a bedpost fashioned as a club and started swinging.

"Hey put that down, crazy bitch!"

"GET OUT OF HERE, LEAVE ME ALONE!" She screamed swinging at him. She finally got a good hit in, the bedpost connected with the intruder's head slamming into him. He held his hand to the wound and stumbled backward.

Before she could swing again he caught the club and tossed it away. "Come here!"

She tried running but he caught her by the sleeve. "You'd better hope this isn't permanent!" He yelled referring to the gash across his head.

"Boss I got her I got the-.." Chase plunged the screw that was sticking out of the bedpost into his temple. Then pushed him off the railing of the stairs, the intruder died when he hit the floor.

"Just what in the hell is going on up there!" The last intruder asked.

Chase limped back over to Emma, "Emma I need your help if we're gonna survive this."

Emma supported Chase on her shoulder as they went over to her room's balcony. "Y-You can barely walk," she protested worriedly.

"Hand me the knife...trust me."

The intruder pushed his current hostage away and grabbed Rita.

"No please!" the employee turn around and spoke up.

The intruder bashed the flint pistol he was holding onto her face. "Shut up bitch! Now..."

He pressed the barrel to Rita's head, "this is the main cleaning bitch right? If you don't come down here right now, I'm gonna blow her head off!"

Emma lowered the sheet down with Chase on the end of it, "please be careful and don't let them kill Rita!" She whispered down.

"Just distract him I'll do the rest," with that he ran around to the house's back entrance.

 _'please work...'_ Emma went to the stairs and called down. "I'm coming don't shoot her please!"

"Don't tell me, bitch, what happened to my men?"

"I-I killed them.."

"Bullshit, no way a tiny little shit like you could take down two grown men, whos up there with you?!"

"No one just me I, swear!" Emma stated her hands held up.

Angered the man pointed the pistol at one of the employees and fired.

The whole room seemed to scream,

"No why?" Emma screamed tears running down her face.

The man tossed the pistol aside and drew his knife. "Enough games where is the bastard who killed my men!"

"Right here..." a voice said behind him

The man turned to see who it was. Chase spun the knife between his fingers and threw it.

"You're gonna, ah!" The back of the knife's handle poked his eye out. He released Rita and the knife opting to hold his eye, "ow fuck that hurts!"

Chase slumped his shoulders, as his knife went clattering to the floor. "Damn that could of went better..." _'so much for being a badass.'_

"I'm gonna kill you!" The man screamed his eye swollen and red, he lunged at Chase pinning him down, he started reaching for Chase's knife but before he could make another move Rita stabbed him in the back.

"Uh," he turned to face her, Chase made ready to stop him but before he could do anything the intruder fell dead.

The room was silent for the next few seconds till Swanson busted through the door rifle in hand. "What the hell happened?"

Before someone could answer Ford ran in, "Emma, Rose!"

"Daddy!" Emma ran into her father's arms his wife did as well.

"W-We were almost killed!" Mrs. Ford exclaimed.

"Chase saved us!" Emma informed

"Someone help me!" Rita called out, she was trying to stop the bleeding on the employee who'd been shot. Chase ran over and kneeled to her side.

"W-What should I do?" He asked her.

"We need to stop the bleeding, place your hand here!" She answered using his hand to cover the bleeding wound. "Come on honey stay awake!" She looked up to Ford, "Mr. Ford we need to get her to a hospital!"

"Y-Yes of course! Use my carriage..."

"We lift on three," Chase grabbed her legs, "one..." Chase began,

Rita looked down in sorrow, "wait..."

Her words were barely audible to him, "two..."

"Chase stop, s-she has lost too much blood!"

"We can still try right?" He asked hopefully.

She shook her head slowly, "I'm afraid not." Rita said closing the women's eyes.

Chase sat back and sighed, "damn it..."


	4. No Fate- 4, Welcome to the 104th

It had been a week since Chase left for the Cadet Corps. Leaving Emma and Rita behind. It was hard but on the bright side, Ford owed him a few favors. Chase was going to make good use of those when he passes training, well if he passes training.

He along with dozens upon dozens of other cadets stood in formation, it was midday and they all stood in the mud pit that was considered the training grounds. Drill instructor Shadis had been berating them all day and now it was time for the introduction or right of passage. Just something about a bald guy yelling at you that puts it all in perspective.

"Straighten those spines piss ants, the 104th cadet boot camp starts now. Allow me to introduce myself I'm drill instructor Keith Shadis and you will grow to hate me, training is gonna be a white-knuckle ride through hell. If I've done my job you will be waking up in a cold sweat from memories of this place every night for the rest of your miserable lives! Right now you're nothing livestock, but over the next three soul-crushing years, you'll learn to take down your own Goliath! Remember this moment when you come face-to-face with it, here's where you ask yourself I'm I a fighter or am I feed? Am I gonna be grounded up between two boulder-sized incisors, or am I gonna be the one to bite?

'Yeah definitely don't want to find myself in a Titans' mouth in the near future?' Chase couldn't help but shudder at the thought, but then he's straightened up and looked forward determination in his eyes. 'I don't think I'll have to worry about that too much, besides I'm gonna be in the interior 'serving his majesty the king,' heh can't wait to slit his throat and any other royal that gets in the way.' Chase smiled at the thought but soon he was shaken out of his daydream by shadis yelling.

He had started the right of passage, "Hey moptop!" He yelled at a blonde headed boy.

He gave a stiff salute, "Sir!"

"What do they call you maggot?"

"Armin Arlert from Shiganshina district sir!" Armin replied.

"Wow seriously, why would your parents name you such a dumb name?"

"It was my grandfather's sir!"

"Cadet Arlert why is a runt like you here!"

Armin's voice cracked when he responded, "To help Humanity overcome the Titans!"

"That is delightful to hear, you're going to be a good light snack for em. Row three about-face runt!" Shadis commanded twisting Armin around by his head while doing so.

Shadis moved on to a buzzed blond boy, who gave a salute as he spoke.

"What do you call yourself?"

"Sir my name is Thomas Wagner, I'm from Trost District..."

He was cut off by a yell from Shadis, " I can't hear you!"

"I-I'm from Trost sir!"

"Nobody here gives a damn, what about you!" He walked over to a small black haired girl.

"I'm Mina Carolina from Calaneth district!"

Shadis loomed over her, "is a pathetic worm like you all Calaneth has to offer?"

"I'm afraid that's the case sir.."

"When you get back tell them you and Calaneth can rot in hell!"

"Yes, sir!

"Row four about face!" He ordered, Shadis started walking past some cadets that when he saw...her.

A short blonde with cold blue eyes, she looked like she came up to his neck in hight but seemed like she knew how to handle herself. She had a prominent nose but not horribly so, hell, by all means, she was pretty. Chase kept staring till a chest blocked his view, It was none other than Shadis.

 _'Aw shit.'_

"So scar face huh, I bet you think you're real tough. But let me tell you, you're not shit! Just what do they call you shitbird!"

Chase did a crisp salute, "Chase Holt, outlying wall Maria sir!"

"For real? What a piss ass name, 'Chase,' what do you do chase shit around or something?"

"My mother gave it to me sir!"

"Well isn't that sweet." Shadis leaned in to yell at his face, "I don't give a rat's ass who gave it to you! I hope a Titan shits you out for having that name!"

"Yes sir!" Chase responded, with that Shadis moved on.

 _'Jeez glad that shit is over with.'_

He moved to a boy around Chase's hight, with light brown hair. "What do we have here?"

"Jean Kristein sir, from Trost District!"

"Why are you here cadet?"

"To join the military police sir, the best of the best."

"That's nice, you want to live in the interior do ya?"

"Yes..." Jean responded then Shadis headbutted him and he fell to the ground in pain."

Shadis proceeded to yell at him, "no one told you you can sit recruit, if you can't handle this Kristein then you can forget about the military police!"

 _'Damn.'_

Shadis started yelling at a boy with black hair and freckles, "What the hell is wrong with your face you smiling idiot?"

"Marco Bott from sheeny southside of wall Rose, I am to join the military police and give life and limb to service of the King!"

Chase couldn't help but roll his eyes, _'what a fool, well when I'm done there won't be a king...'_

Shadis continued, "well then that makes you an idealistic fool and a rube. You want the truth?" He leaned in close to Marco, "the only use the King has for your life and limbs is as Titan fotter."

When Shadis was done, Marco looked crushed like his whole world came crashing down. "Hey, cueball you're next!"

A short boy with a shaved head responded, "Uh me?" He formed a backward salute but didn't seem to notice and continued on. "Connie Springer from Ragako village sir!"

Shadis picked him up by his head, "You have it backward Connie Springer, that was the first thing you were taught. The salute represents the resolve in your heart to fight those bent on the systematic destruction of our people, is your heart on your right side!"

Before he could continue they all heard a loud ' _crunch!'_ A girl with reddish-brown hair was eating a potato.

Shadis honesty looked shocked, he dropped Connie who looked like he was on the verge of passing out, he landed with a thud. "Hey you there what do you think you're doing?"

She looked around as if he was talking to someone else and took another bite.

He looked beyond pissed, "you are officially on my shitlist, just who the hell are you!"

She looked at him shocked but then swallowed and saluted with the potato still in hand. "Sasha Braus, from Dopper village at your service sir!"

"Sasha Braus huh? And just what is that you're clutching in your right hand?"

"A steamed potato, it sat there in the mess hall begging to be eaten, sir."

 _'W-What?'_

"The theft I understand but here, why eat it here of all places?"

"It looked quite delicious and it was getting cold, so I gave it shelter in my stomach sir."

Shadis looked like he was going to malfunction, "why I can't comprehend... why would you eat that potato?"

Sasha looked confused, "uh, are you asking me why people eat potatoes? I'm surprised you don't know sir..."

Everyone looked shocked, Chase's mouth went agape, _'she just basically insulted his intelligence... damn'_

She broke off some of the potato, "here sir have half.."

He took the piece in shock, "h-have half, really?" He asked in genuine shock.

A stupid grin came across her face.

Shadis lost it, "you have exactly two choices you either lose your food privileges or you run till the sun sets, which is it!"

She got down on her and knees and started to beg, "no, no I'll run, I'll run, just don't take my meal privileges away!"

"Get to it Braus, go, go!"

She took off running, "Holt!" Shadis yelled.

 _'Oh no what does he want?'_ "S-Sir?" Chase asked confused.

"Since your name implies you chase stuff run after her, keep pace!"

 _'Oh son of a bitch!'_ "Yes sir!" Chase said running after Sasha.

"The rest of you get ready for physical training move it!" Shadis yelled to the rest of the cadets.

Chase caught up, then yelled so Shadis would hear, "move, move, let's go, push it!"

 _'Damn it potato girl!'_

-X-X-X-

the Sun finally went down and they came to a stop outside the barracks. "There done..." Sasha said then collapsed from exhaustion.

Chase held his hands above his head to catch his breath, "you're an idiot potato girl and you're going to owe me big-time..." Chase chied. But she was already asleep, "h-hey you hear me?"

He was going to say something again but heard footsteps coming from the darkness. Sasha sniffed a few times then like a predator to prey lunged at the girl or rather what she was carrying.

The girl was knocked down and they watched as Sasha savagely devoured the loaf of bread.

"Could it be, that's it!"

The Goddess like girl replied, " I'm sorry there isn't more but that's all I could take... they hang on you guys could use some water."

Sasha embraced her, "you, you're a goddess aren't you? Glory on to youu!"

Chase stood there mesmerized, 'my god she really is a goddess...' Then the tall freckled girl known as the Ymir walked up. "What are you idiots up to?"

Sasha continued eating her bread, while Chase held his hands up in defense, "hey don't look at me I'm not a part of this..."

The goddess he remembered as Christa spoke, "well uhh, they've been running all day without any food or water... "

"I see, so you're trying to be nice huh?" Ymir concluded. Sasha finished her bread and collapsed on Christa's lap.

 _'Lucky,'_ Chase thought but then it occurred to him, "Hey I didn't get any, ugh," Christa handed him the waterskin and he began drinking.

Ymir continued, "what's the point of breaking the rules for potato girl and Scarface here?"

Chase raised an eyebrow at the remark, "hey!"

"That mindless act of kindness will get you absolutely nowhere."

"Whatever," Chase handed the waterskin back to Christa, "I'm going to go get something to eat, fucking starved." With that Chase made his way to the mess hall.

-X-X-X-

The mess hall was pretty much cleared out except for a few lingering groups. That's when he saw her again, the blonde girl he was gocking at before Shadis grilled him. She was sitting alone, _'are you kidding me how? you'd think a girl that pretty would at least have a few people interested in her._ _Well, here's my chance...'_

He walked over to her table and sat his tray down, she looked like she was deep in thought. She heard the sound of the tray and looked at him.

"Mind if I set here?" He asked

Her beautiful cold blue eyes looked him over, "do you have to?"

On the outside, he was calm and stood there awkwardly, but on the inside, he was in turmoil. ' _I blew it? I blew it that fast how, damn it...'_

She sighed, "knock yourself out."

Chase took a seat and began eating, _'maybe I should strike up a conversation?'_ "Someday huh?"

"Uh huh," she replied picking at her food.

"You don't talk much do you?" He asked

She dropped her fork and sighed, " look you could have said anywhere why sit here?"

"Hey easy it just looked like you needed a friend..." _'Goddamnit I'm blowing it think fast..'_

"I don't have any friends, and I don't want an..." Chase cut her off.

He blurted out the first thing that came to mind, "your eyes are beautiful you know that right?"

She looked shocked, _'oh no now she thinks am a total perv...'_ Chase rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment, "sorry that kind of slipped out there...I,"

This time she cut him off, "t-thank you..."

that's when he noticed a slight blush on her face, _'I-I got her to blush? No way..'_

Your name is Chase right?"

"Yeah or Scarface thats what everyone's been calling me. So like whats your name?"

"It's Annie..."


	5. No fate-5 Training

Jean rushed forward with the dummy rifle, shooting jabs and thrusts, "Ah!" He held the rifle horizontally to protect an incoming blow to his chest.

Chase pulled back circling him like a vulture, they were practicing close quarters fighting with rifles. The repeated clanks and banging from other cadets fighting sounded around them. It had been two years since they joined the cadet corps, Shadis was true to his word, it had been two years of hell and agony, especially for Chase, well he had one thing or person rather that kept him going... at least, she is worth the agony, more or less.

Chase rushed forward swinging the butt of the rifle to Jean's midsection before it could connect Jean pushed it off and jabbed Chase in the gut.

"Ugh!..." _'oh agony indeed.'_

"Come on Holt that the best you got?" Jean asked tauntingly.

Chase smirked, "you've gotten pretty good from the last few times...but not good enough!" He rushed again but this time he pushed him to the dirt with the length of the rifle. Chase pushed down harder into his chest effectively pinning him. This went on for a few more seconds than it should have.

"Ah, uh, ok Holt you got me that time...uh Holt?" Jean asked when he didn't let up.

Chase held him pinned, _'Yeah exactly how I'm gonna do it...might even smother the bastard with his royal pillow.'_

" _'cough!'_ H-Holt let up man this is starting to hurt..." Jean wheezed struggling to get out from under him.

Chase blinked, "huh?" He looked down to Jean to which he had his rifle locked against his chest. He let up, "Sorry man had my mind in the gutter there..." he held a hand to which Jean took.

"Its good man, it's just yo..." Jean was cut off by a yell. They looked over to see Reiner being tossed through the air like a rag doll then landed on Eren.

"Not really sure I wanna know how you got here..." Eren said looking over to see that it was Mikasa's doing.

"Hey Annie, your Technique seems pretty solid..show me," Mikasa asked giving Annie a cold glare.

Annie sighed as she rose her feet, "I'm flattered but it's a method for normal people, so why would you ever need it?" Annie asked rolling her sleeves up, "Still I'm curious to see if it works on animals let's find out."

"This is happening? Oh crap," Eren said surprised.

Others ran up to see the spectacle, "Hold up these two actually about to fight?" Connie asked not believing two of the 104th's best cadets were about to duke it out.

"This is gonna be epic," Sasha said anxiously for the fight.

"Who do we bet on?" Daz askes from the back.

"What do you mean? Annie..." Marco replied obviously.

"What? Idiot, dinner says Mikasa wipes the floor with her!" Jean stated. "What about you Holt?"

"Well... I've been beaten, pummeled and wreaked by both of them, it's hard to say..." Chase replied watching on.

Annie took her signature fighting stance while Mikasa opted to take a more lose watchful stance.

The whole courtyard looked on in anticipation for the fight to come. That's when Chase saw a familiar looming figure approaching. _'Shit, Its Shadis!'_

"Attention!" Chase called out.

"Just what in the hell is going on here!" Shadis yelled, veins bulging out as he did so.

Everyone stood and gave a salute, "sir," they said in unison.

"Last time I checked I told you a lot to practice CQB with rifles!" Shadis walked in front of the two women. "Care to explain?"

Mikasa was first to speak, "we were just going to have some friendly competition, sir."

"Friendly competition you say? Well if you like competition so much I say we train in another session of ODM training..." Shadis paused, "no..." he looked to the sky it was starting to rain, "I say we go for a little run first." He said in a low tone then spoke up for all to hear. "You hear that! This session of CQB training is over! Get your packs and rain cloaks on runts, were going for a run. But first I guess we gotta feed you maggots! You got thirty minutes for lunch, dismissed!"

"Sir." Came the chorused reply, with that Shadis walked of and cadets started to rack the dummy rifles and head off to lunch.

"Aww man, I really wanted to see them fight," Connie whined

"I think If he didn't step in the whole camp would have been destroyed!" Sasha exclaimed.

Chase racked the dummy rifle and Annie racked hers next to him. "Hey, Annie, man that was going to be something If Shadis didn't step in."

Annie had reverted back to her same old board expression and monotone, "uh huh." She replied simply.

They started their walk to the mess hall, "hey everything ok?" _'Shes not normally talkative but this is different...'_

"Yeah."

' _Ok better not pry any further unless I wanna get a concussion...'_ "So I was wondering if maybe later tonight you would help me with hand to hand again?" Chase asked.

Ever since they started close quarters combat training she had for the lack of better words wiped the floor with him and pretty much anyone she spared with. She, however, helped him now and again, giving him tips, pointers, and insight.

She looked over at him, that board expression she had lifting ever so slightly. "I can show you a few more things I guess."

"Cool, I appreciate it," he said with a smile.

"You're welcome..." Annie murmured walking away with him.

-X-X-X-

The cadets sat around the mess hall eating their lunch, their rucksacks close by for when the order to run was to come.

Chase sat next to Jean and Marco, the three forming a friendship because of their interest of the military police.

"Man I gotta say I'm not looking forward to this run..." Connie said next to them eating a spoonful of the slop thet we were fed.

"Who is? Man, this is gonna suck." Jean stated, but then a smirk came across his face. "But then again we won't have to worry about this kinda shit when we become MPs..."

A voice interrupted them from the table adjacent from them. "Yeah, only an MP would blow off physical work and opt to become a fatass."

It was Eren spouting off his usual rhetoric towards the end MP's. Chase looked over towards the three lifelong friends. He of course, had the occasional chat with them and they helped each other during other training at times but he never really got to know them too well, not like Jean, Marco, Annie, Reiner and Berthold, as well as a few others.

He knew Armin a little better than the other two but his interested in becoming an MP made Eren not too fond of him. As for Mikasa, she latched on to Eren like a child to their puppy, for the life of him he didn't know why, but whatever the case she wasn't keen on making friends, so he couldn't form a friendship with her.

"It's not my fault I wanna relax and enjoy some of the finer things in life, meanwhile you wanna waltz off and get knawed on, fucking scouts, a waste of people money and time..." Jean stated annoyed.

"Shut up you coward! The finer things in life won't exist if the Titans overrun us! Then maybe if you're lucky the Titans will mistake you for a horse, you horse-faced bastard!"

Jean stood angerly up from his seat, "what did I tell you about calling me that you suicidal moron!"

Eren stood up to face him, "I'm not suicidal!"

"Give it a rest..." Chase spoke up to his own surprise, "save it for the run."

Eren grunted, "says one of the soon to be MPs..."

Chase rolled his eyes, "look man I don't know what you deal is with the MPs but you can't just hate everyone who wants to join..."

"Only the laziest and cowardice people join the MPs..." Eren stated.

Chase stood from his seat, "oh yeah, If no one joined then who would keep order in the walls? Yeah sure a lot of MPs are corrupt and cowards but you must believe that there are some good people in there who what to make a difference."

Eren stayed silent for a moment before speaking, "and just what are you joining for...if you make the cut that is?"

Chase paused, it wasn't like he could say, 'oh you know just to kill off the royalty and slit Fritz's throat... and not to mention living in relative comfort before then isn't too bad either...' that part especially would prove his point.

He shrugged, "I just wanna serve the king..." he couldn't help but sound sarcastic.

Marcos' eyes lit up at this.

"sure," Eren waved him off

"I have my reasons, just like some have their reasons to be Titan fodder..." Chase remarked.

Eren lunged over the table at him, "ahhh!"

He blocked Erens punch then pushed him back sending him into a table, "hey you as-" he started.

 _'Wack!'_ Chase was cut off from his insult by a hit to the head. He fell to the ground in a heap.

"ugh," he groaned and turned over to look at his attacker... Mikasa.

"Stay away from him! Eren are you ok?" Her tone went from angry and hateful towards him to soft and loving toward Eren.

"Oh what the fuuck," Chase groaned once more standing up, "he came at me, I was just defending myself!"

"She gave him a cold glare, "you pushed him and he got hurt..."

"Ah Mikasa, I'm not a little kid, stop looming over me like your my mother or something!" Eren said annoyed.

"Are you ok?" She asked again

He sighed giving up, "yes..."

Chase stood rubbing the spot where she had it. He could understand the whole protect brother and or loved one thing believe him he'd been there but Eren advanced on him leaving him only one choice... to defend himself.

As Eren started to smart something off the room was filled with the creek of the door.

It was Shadis, _'sigh''_

"What was that I heard just now? "

Before anyone could say anything Chase spoke, "Me and..." he looked over to eye him, "Eren had a disagreement, sir..."

"Oh? Do explain," Shadis stepped in the mess hall further.

This was Chase's shot to try to make friends with the trio, he eyed the three cadets from Shiganshina and sighed once more. After all, it was a good idea to make allies more so than enemies, especially in this world.

"It was my fault, sir,"

Eren and a few went widde eyed in shock, expecting me to rat them out, I looked to Jean who raised an eyebtow in question.

"I advanced on Eren because he insulted me," I chuckled for effect, "then Mikasa here did what she always does, protect him. That's what happened sir..."

Shadis stared at me for a moment, "you sorry bunch this is the second incident today, if any more...incidents breakout ill make you lot run till you drop and know that there will be no rations tonight! Do I make myself clear?"

"Sir they replied in union Sasha especially fearing to loose dinner tonight.

"Good," a crack of thunder sounded behind him and he smirked, "hear that? Time to run, grab your rucks and move! As for you Holt I want you near the front as punishment, lag behind more than the second-row and you won't eat to tonight"

 _'ah fuck,'_ "Yes sir..." With that ,he grabbed his rucksack and joined the others running to the trail.


	6. No Fate-6, Training and more training

Unsurprisingly the 104th training corps was being grilled by Shadis, and as he promosed the years they had been training was hell on earth, they were tested mentaly, physically and many of them were broken. The class participated in training ranging from Wilderness survival and winter training, both of whitch resulted with a incident with Crista being kidnaped and where she saved Daz respectively. _'Fun times.' T_ o Omdi directional Mobility training where many cadets sustained injuries ranging from sprained ankles to broken backs. But at last the class was coming to an end and so the cadets were being evaluated by Shadis one last time for graduation.

"Come on pick it up, you lead-heeled lagards!"

Boots stomped through the rain and mud as the group of cadets partook in another one of Shadis's 'little runs.' Graduation was almost opon them, and Shadis made sure to push extra hard to once and for all weed out the weaker ones from the group.

"Boots water-logged Arlelt?"

He droped back down to the last of the formation next to him, "Lets see some huscle!"

If Shadis was a beting man he would of placed his chips on Arlet to be one of the first ones to drop out, but then he would of lost.

' _The little bastard is persistent, i'll give him that.'_ Shadis thought to himself before speaking again. "Gear too heavy for ya son, hell drop it in the mud, Titans will have an easier time digesting you with out all the excess bagage." Shadis quipped then rode on.

Shadis saw in this peripheral vision that Reiner had taken up Armin's bag.

 _'Heh if I was any meaner I would count that off his grade...'_ Shadis shook his head. _"Reiner Braun_ , _the mind and constitution of a grass-fed ox, respected among his peers.'_

"I'm no ones burden, you hear me!" Armin shouted before taking his pack and heading up the formation near Holt. He almost smiled at this, almost. _'Armin Arlelt, built like a daffodil, but academically brilliant."_

"Finish up pissants, we got more ODM training after this, so pick it up!"

The class finished up the run and started going at it with Titan dummies, Shadis watched on from his perch, joting down notes now and again. Three cadets came ziping out of the trees and fell opon a lone Titan dummy. The first two cut the nape dead on however the noted the last one, Jean didn't cut deep enough.

 _'Annie Leonhert, gifted with a sword, but doesn't exactly play well with others._

 _Bertholdt Hoover, heaps of native talnet but too mild mannored.'_

He looked back over to Jean, _'Jean Kierstein, Head of the Class on ODM; also an insufferable smart-ass with a hair-triggered temper.'_

Jean ziped through the trees looking for another dummy Titan to strike down, he came across one and made ready to take it down with a sly smile on his face, then Conney swooped in front.

"Way to lead the charge! Don't mind if I steal your thunder right?" But before he could make a move Sasha swoped in and cut the nape.

Both of the males had a surprized look on their face.

"woo-hoo!"

For a split second Shadis thought she was going to hit the ground but she bounced off her ODM before that could happen.

 _'Sasha Brouce, unusualy fine instincts, rarely shares them with her teammates._

 _Conny Springer, agile on the switchbacks, a few sandwiches shy of a picnic...'_

Two more soliders moved in, Mikasa and Eren, they striked at the dummy, Mikasa preformed perfectly while Eren was not deep enough on the cut.

 _'Mikasa Akermen, model Cadet_. excels in everything, in fact it's not an overstatemt to call the girl a genius.

 _Eren Jager, lackluster in the classroom. Marginally better in the field, but driven by a purpose that's almost terrifying.'_

Shadis looked over to the last cadet he was to evaluate, _'Last but not least Chase Holt, one of the more decent ones on ODM, knows just where to make the cut. A bonafide marksman when it comes to firearms. Keeps his head down around others, not very sociable when he doesn't need to be._ In all a half ass decent Soldier.

Chase propelled forward and flipped off a tree trunk, he spotted the Titan dummy and hooked into it launching himself blades at the ready. "Ahh!" He slashed the nape and it went flying off, he continued to zip through the trees out of sight from Shadis.

Shadis wrote a few things down on his clipboard and finished up, "they all most certainly have potential, we'll just have to wait and see if they put it to good use."

With that shadis lept off his perch and took off.

XXX

' _Say goodbye your Majesty...'_

 **'Boom!'**

The cloud of smoke emmited from the rifle as Chase hit the distant target.

"...Hit, heh you are really good at this Holt!" Marco exclaimed taking the rifle Chase was handing off to him.

"Yeah had to be, when I was a kid the only food we could truly rely on was from the woodlands and forests."

Marco started loading the shot for his turn, "you would think Sasha would be a good shot too, you know consitering she's from Doper village." He finished jaming the rod down the barrel to hold the shot inplace.

"Well they are more fond of using bows and the like, cheaper and better on the meat..."

 **'Boom!'**

Marco opened his left eye to check the target. "D-did I hit it?"

Chase shook his head, "unfortunly no, just a few inches to the right."

"Damn," Marco cursed handing the rifle back to him. "Tell me why do we gotta train with these again, Its not like they can be used against Titains?"

"You remember the lecture they gave us, crowd control I guess for those of us that are going into the MPs, hell I even hear some Garrison squads use them to keep order as well."

"Yeah in the end it always seems like we fight more with our common man."

There was a silence between the two, as the other pops and bangs of nearby training cadets sounded.

"I long for they day where they make one where its not such a pain in the ass to load. Chase finished loading again and took aim, he let out a breath and started squeeze the trigger...

"DAMN IT!"

Chase's shot was thrown off and the round went high from the sudden scream. He looked over annoyed to none other than Eren.

"This stupid thing must be defective, it always shoots to high!" Eren shouted frustration etched on his face.

"Come on Eren calm down, were all struggling here." Armin tried to calm his friend.

"Ugh it's not like were gonna use them aginest Titains anyways..."

"Need some help?" a voice asked

Eren looked up to Chase and Marco, then huffed, "yeah I could use a few pointers."

"Well first off about reloading, I dont know what else to tell you but that it takes practice, second, these are mostly sighted for mid range, its pretty hard to shoot something farther than that."

Chase tossed the rifle back to Eren after reloading it, Eren nodded then pulled back the hammer.

Chase stood to his side, "finally last thing I can think to tell you is before shooting let out a slow breath, then pull the trigger. Not only does it relax you it stedys your hold on it and makes you more accurate."

Eren did as he instructed and held the butt of the rifle to his sholder then let out a slow breath...

 **'Boom!"**

The round went through the paper target and Eren let off the rifle to oberve his work.

"Heh I actually hit it," he looked over to Chase. "Thanks Holt"

"Don't mention it."

With that the cadets went back to training. Chase looked across the range, multiple Cadets filled the stalls in pairs, they took turns firing the rifle they've been given. He searched on for the person he had been looking for, but thats when he spoted Ymir and Christa.

To say it looked like they were having trouble would be an understatement, Christa was barely holding on to the gun that was bigger than her, Ymir looked like she was trying to help her but failing miserably.

Chase shruged, "May as well lend them a hand." He said aloud.

He walked over to them and when Ymir saw him she gave a scowl, but when Christa saw him it was the complete opposite.

"Hi Holt, are you done with your rifle training already?"

"Yeah aren't you supposed to be training?" Ymir asked giving him another scowl.

Ignoreing her he turned to Christa, "I can see you're having a little trouble, mind if I help?"

Ymir began her reply but was unknowingly cutoff by Crista. "Sure," she frowned, "I'm not very good at this..."

"Well lets see if we just cant fix that," Chase took her rifle and loaded it, "right now I just want you to focus on firing it, I'll do the reloads since I'm faster at it."

Chase explained the basics like he did to Eren and Marco before her, then he to the dismay of Ymir and without thinking stood behind her and helped her study the weapon. A few seconds passed and she pulled the trigger. The shot hit the paper not dead center, but good enough.

"I hit it, yes finally thanks Holt, couldn't have done it without you." Crista smiled back at him, thats when he realized the position he was in.

He let go of the rifle and steped back from her, he looked over to some surrounding stalls where Jean, Conny, Reiner and a few other male and even female Cadets looked on in envy.

 _'Aw crap I really didn't mean to do that...,'_ he rubbed his neck and looked back at a pissed Ymir.

"Y-Yeah no problem, just uhh keep doing what I said and you'll be a crack shot in no time."

While the other cadets went back to what they were doing, Chase turned to Ymir, "heh sorry about that... You want me to help yo..."

"Beat it scar face..." she warned turning back to a Christa that was reloading her gun.

"I-I," he started but she gave him another annoyed look.

"I'll go now." With that he started off down the other stalls where he saw her, "Annie." She was paired up with Mikasa, who were trying to out due eachother. They shredded target after target, hell he couldnt even do that. He continued to watch and helped out where he could till it was time for yet another sesion of hand to hand to begin.

XXX

Sometimes Chase thought the universe was working aginest him, and he might be right.

Of all the people to be paired with for CQB, it just had to be Mikasa. Hell he would pick Annie, even through she had to as she put it, 'Keep up appearences,' witch ment still lay his ass out. Still it would be better since she tended to his wounds afterwards, privately of course.

"You ready Holt?" She asked with that familiar monotone.

"As I'll ever be," with him being the rogue he charged.

He jabbed at her with the wooden dagger but she dodged every attack, she ran towards him and fliped over him.

"Huh?" once she landed behind him he ducked low turning towards her then preformed a unsucrssful tackle. "Damn!"

She elbowed him in the back to witch he fell to the dirt, she kneeled down and took up the dagger.

"You're turn." She made ready with the dagger.

Chase pushed himself off the ground coughing as he did so.

"Damn," he cracked his back, "remind me to not get on you're badside."

She raised an eyebrow, "like the last four times you've said that?"

"I did?" He throught back to the other times he had sparred with Mikasa, all but a couple times he outdid her by just pure luck. He shook his head, "hell I can't remember, I've been knocked around so many times by you and Annie I'm surprised I don't have brain damage."

Once he was ready she charged, he doged the strikes she was throwing at him and managed to get in behind her to kick her in the back of the leg. She feel to one knee, _'this in my chance!'_ he thought and tried to hit her in the back, she anticipated this and grabbed his arm and fliped him over her using his weight to her advantage. Once he was on the ground she put the dagger to his throat.

"Kill." She announced, holding her hand out.

Chase sighed as he grabbed her hand and pulled him up.

"Good fight." He said dusting himself off.

Mikasa said nothing as she was looking over to their left where Annie was pining Eren.

Mikasa's fists clenched and she began to walk over.

"W-Wait what are you doing?" Chase asked puting a hand on her shoulder stoping her.

"She is pinning him..."

"What are you going to do break it up? Its a sanctioned fight. Besides Reiner wont let it get too far out of hand.

As they were talking Annie let up tossed the wooden dagger and walked off as Reiner began talking to Eren again.

"See they were just..." Chase began but before he could finish, she punched him in the stomach, causing him to topple over.

"If you ever get between me and Eren again Holt, training or otherwise; you'll be sorry."

Chase pushed himself up coughing all the while, "W-what the hell Mikasa? Son of a bitch..."

XXX

The last day of training was officaily over and their final grades were to be posted in the morning. The cadets were in the mess chating among themselves and in their respective groups.

Chase placed his tray across from Annie and for a slpit second she smiled before going back to her usual lovely self. For some reason she had made them keep their relationship a secret. At first he thought it was because she didnt want to be seen with him but he figured it was for another reason entirely.

Chase could hear Armin rattleing on about ODM experts or something. While Jean was braging about his skills with ODM gear.

He sighed and looked down at the slop they have been served, god what he wouldnt give for a slice of meat right now...

He was cut off by Jean and Eren arguing, he sighed, "oh for the love of god, another lovers spat?" Chase said in a low tone where only Annie and the girl seting at their table could hear.

Eren continued his remark, "Poor Jean so misguided besides, I don't think your head would fit in the interior anyway..."

That caused a few including Chase to chuckle. Jean glared at Eren, "yeah very funny."

"Seems a little backwards to me. fine-tuning your Titan-Killng skills so the brass will station you somewhere you'll never see one..."

"You'd rather I'd be good at getting killed? No thanks, rather play the system then get knawed on."

Eren stood from his seat, "you son of a bitch!"

Jean folowed suit, "bring it on you little bastard!"

"Eren please, stop it." Armin pleaded.

Before it could escalate Mikasa stepped in, "gentleman please.." She looked at Eren and he actually looked like a son being reprimanded by their mother.

Just what kind of relaionship did Eren and Mikasa have?" Chase woundered for what seemd like the hundredth time.

When things seemed to be calming down Jean pushed him into the wall. "You think you can judge me!?"

"You rip my shirt and you're dead!"

" I dont give a damn about your shirt, you pissed me off!"

"Are you insane?"

Chase raised an eyebrow as Eren had a deer in the headlights look, then something happend that he wouldnt think would happen in a thousand years.

Eren pulled Jean away from him then took him to the floor.

Everyone including Annie looked surprised and shocked.

 _'Damn didn't know the kid had it in em...'_

"Ugh, damn it what the hell was that move!" Jean asked.

"little something I picked up this afternoon while you were busy with your thumb up your ass, you honestly believe the military police is the ticket to the good life? You're not a soldier you're a joke."

A moment of silence took over the room, till the door creaked open revealing it to be Shadis.

"Would someone care to explain the little ruckus I heard just now, I do hope everything's alright."

A moment passed while Jean and Eren took their seats, then Mikasa of all people raised her hand and answered, "Sasha passed some gas commandant."

The mess hall bursted out in snorts.

Shadis covered his nose, "Why am I not surprised? For the love of god learn some self-control." With that he left.

"Once the chuckling had died down, the rest of the night was spent eating and listening to Sasha ask why Mikasa would do something like that. At least till Mikasa shoved a loaf of bread in her mouth to shut her up.

"Chase."

"Hm?" He looked over to Annie.

She nodded her head indicating for him to follow. They walked out of the mess relatively unnoticed then made their way around to the back of a grassy hill over looking the nearby lake that was close to the training grounds.

They sat there for what seemed like hours, till Annie piped up, "you know you're pretty much the only person here that makes me happy, your not afraid of me, you actually treat me like a... normal girl." She admitted out loud.

"What you're not a normal girl?" Chase chuckled, "what exactly am I dealing with here Annie?"

She froze, "uh well you know how others treat me, like I'm threatening or I'm scary..."

"Which are all true." He stated

"Guess you're right about that, but why do you like me?" She asked looking to him for an answer.

"Hell I dont know, can't really control who you like or dislike." He laughed, "But I'm probably just crazy anyway..."

She gave one of her rare smirks then punched him in the shoulder.

"Hey!" He said playfully pushing her to the ground. He knew she could of easily pushed him off and obliterated him, hell she's done it enough times for him to become accustomed to it but she instead just laid there. Thats when his eyes met hers then he kissed her.

 _'At least life isn't all bad.'_


	7. No Fate-7, Graduation and tragedy

It was the night of graduation for the 104th cadet corps. The cadets had endured pain, suffering and hardship beyond imagination, yet they persevered through it all. In all 218 recruits graduated, some with honors.

Chase stood there fuming, as the top ten stood before them.

' _11th fucking place you've got to be kidding me... Just one more and I could of gotten in the MPs. Fuck!'_ He gritted his teeth as the training instructors came out.

One of them, surprisingly not Shadis.Yelled out in a booming voice, "do you have heart!?"

They all snapped a crisp salute, "sir!"

"As of this moment you have three options open to you, choose wisely.

The Garrison regiment who's job it is to reinforce the walls.

The Scout regiment, who rides out into Titan country to take back what was once ours.

The MP regiment who maintains Law and Order from orders of his Royal Majesty.

Those Cadets who are eligible for the MP have already been named. The rest of you take a look, these are the top of your class!"

In order from first to last was Mikasa, Reiner, Bertolt, Annie, Eren, Jean, Marco, Sasha and Christa.

Though Chase felt glad for his comrades, especially Annie. He couldn't help but feel cheated.

Chase sighed, as they made their way back to the barracks, the class was going in town to celebrate before getting deployed to Trost. Chase however had different plans for tonight.

"So let me get this straight, instead of going out with your comrades to celebrate our achievement you're going somewhere into the interior to celebrate?" Jean asked as Chase packed a bag for the road.

He nodded his head, "It will just be for a day, I'll be back before sunset tomorrow, besides I could use a break from all you bastards.."

Marco chuckled at that, "well Holt, you never really told us who you're going to see?"

"Just a few... family members, the ones I have left anyway." They were silent at that, In truth it wasnt a total lie. Emma and Rita were all he had left, them and his fellow cadets.

"The interior eh? I didn't take you for the rich type." Reiner said joining the three.

"Well never was really, after the walls fell and... my mother died."

The usual brotherly smirk Reiner had seemed to disappear at that. To witch Chase didnt notice.

"My father took up a job for a bastard by the name of Ford. Real piece of work, him and that bastard cronie Swanson. Anyway he got sent in with the operation to retake Wall Maria. So he set me up as his replacement, cut a long story short they treated me like an animal, hell even made me sleep out in the shed. But the two people there who kept me sane were Rita and Emma."

Reiner spoke up again, "so I take it your father is..."

"Dead, yep dead as dead can be." He replied bitterly.

"I-I'm sorry," Reiner said rubbing the back on his neck.

Chase patted him on the shoulder, "Thanks Reiner, you know I've always looked to you like an older brother, besides it's not like it's your fault right? heh."

"Y-Yeah, thanks Holt, I'll see you around."

"See ya."

Chase turned back to his bag and tied it up, "well guys, I'm off. See you tomorrow."

They sad their goodbyes and Chase made his way to the mess for a last goodbye before he departed.

XXX

"So you have another way into the Mps, I mean how is that even possible?" Annie asked.

"I've told you about Ford right?"

Annie paused and looked down for a moment, he had told her about his childhood after wall Maria. To say she felt guilty would be an understatement, but like always she hid behind her monotone facade.

"Yeah, you told me..."

"Well that bastard owes me a few favors and I intend to use them."

"So for sure you'll get in with the MPs, he can do that?" Annie asked.

"Positive the bastard has it in with the MPs and is close friends with Nile Doc or so i've heard."

Annie smiled then hugged him, to witch he gladly returned the hug, "I'm glad, it would be hell to be stationed somewhere with people I don't know."

He chuckled, "hey you might of been with Jean and Marco?"

She shook her head, "yeah but it wouldnt be the same. Not to mention that It would play hell with our relationship..."

Chase looked down, "I mean why do we have to keep," he grabbed her hands in his, "us a Secret?"

She looked away from him, a guilty look took over her face.

"I mean do you know how many times I would of loved to kiss you or show affection after we accomplish something? Hannah and Franz show it, Eren and Mikasa have whatever their relationship is. I guess what I'm saying is, why not us?"

Annie paused a few moment before speaking, "because Chase...I dont want it to become a weakness."

He raised an eyebrow, "huh?"

"I-If someone discovered us they could use it against us, people like uhh Ymir."

Chase thought on it for a minute, "Ok I guess you're right, I'll still keep it a Secret." He pulled her closer, "but please don't be a stranger..." he proceeded to kiss her deeply.

For all of a short second Annie was in bliss, till she saw... _'Reiner!'_

She pulled back and sluged him in the gutt.

"ah!" Chase feel to his knees, cluching his stomach.

She picked him up by the collar of his shirt then whispered, "sorry Chase! But someone sees!" She then switched to a louder voice so Reiner could hear. "Try that shit on me again Holt and I'll paralyze you." She said with a clam monotone and let him fall to the floor.

"W-What the hell." He groaned getting up as she walked away.

Reiner came to his side and looked at Annie with a suspicious glare as she walked away. "Holt are you all right?"

"Oh yeah just peachy," he said getting up.

"What was that all about?"

"O-oh you know, just a spur of the moment thing. Just decided to kiss her you know?"

Reiner chuckled, "yeah we've all been through a dry spell if you know what I mean."

"Oh yeah." Reiner helped him to his feet.

"Well Holt, you be careful form now on ok?"

Chase chucked, "hey no promises."

They went their separate ways, Chase to board a coach and Reiner to go see Annie.

XXX

"What was that all about?" Renier asked folding his arms.

Annie just shruged, "I got to talking to him, he complained how he couldn't go into the MPs one thing lead to another and the creep kissed me, you saw it."

Reiner Placed his hand on the side of the building they were standing behind, trapping her between him in the building. "It seemed to me you were really enjoying yourself before, we made eye contact..."

Annie's eyes went wide before going back to their usual state, "come on Reiner you know I would never do anything to jeopardize..." she looked around them for a moment, "our mission."

He let off the buliding, "ok Annie, you win, for now." He begin to walk off then stopped, and turned his head to look back at her, " I'll be watching closely from now on, don't make me do something I wouldn't want to do Annie." With that he walked off leaving her alone.

With him gone, she fell on the side of the building, "shit that was close."

XXX

"Were here sir," the coach driver announced.

Chase nodded and tipped him before he stepped out. It was weird using money for the first time in years, they were finally allowed access to their military pay for the first time since trainng began.

"Meet me back here in an hour." Chase instructed the driver, to witch he nodded.

Chase turned to see the estate, the hell he called home for two and a half years. He walked up the stone road till he reached the front door. On the walk up he saw old faces and new neither paying him any attention while they went about their day.

He eyed the shed that he called a home in the distance before knocking.

A few moments passed before the door opened to Rita, she had the same fake smile he had seen so many times on her, but when she saw him it turned into a genuine one.

"Chase!?"

"Chase smiled, "Its me Rita."

She went to hug him before he could react but he gladly retuned the hug. "Oh my, let me look at you," she stood back hands still on his shoulders. "Little Chase now a Soldier and all grown up."

"Yeah thats me... Its good to see you Rita."

"Well come in and set down, the Ford family will be back in a bit, about thirty minutes."

She brought him some tea and a few cookies, no doubt made by her. It was by far the best thing he has eaten since he left for the Cadet Corps.

"So do you know what regiment you are joining?"

He nodded, "if all things go according to plan I would like to join the military police."

"Oh! So you made it into the top ten then?"

He rubbed the back of his head before answering, "not exactly I did make it to 11th place though so almost. Thats why I'm here I'm calling in the favors Ford owes me from the break in..."

Rita looked down in remembrance of that day, "yes poor Kate, she was such a kind soul, then she got roaped in by a contract with Ford..." she sighed.

Chase looked over toward the kitchen where it all took place, "Kate, Kate was her name? If I was faster maybe I could have..."

Rita cut him off before he could finish, "Chase without what you did Emma, Mrs. Ford and Myself could of ended up dead or worse. Don't dwell on what could have been."

They talked a few more minutes before Ford and his family wlaked through the door. "Rita who's Carriage is blocking my driveway...?"

Him and Chase made eye contact, "hello Mr. Ford."

"C-Chase, what are you doing here?"

Chase stood, "I'm here for those favors you promised me."

"Oh yes, the favors..."

"Chase!?" a voice asked, it was Emma. "It is you!" She ran and hugged him to the dismay of her mother.

"Emma, it is good to see you again." Oh and it was, she wasn't a little girl anymore. Now she was a women.

Chase blushed a bit when she kissed him on the cheek.

"What is this!"

Chase sighed, _'and last but not least.'_ "Swanson."

"Sir what is he doing here?"

"What not happy to see me?" Chase deadpanned. He would like to see Swanson beat him now. A now fat old man against a fully trained Soldier wouldn't turn out so well.

"Oh you little bastard, I'm not too old to kick you're ass!"

"Swanson thats enough!" Ford shouted to the surprise of pretty much everyone in the room, most of all to Swanson.

"S-sir?"

"You heard me, you know how I support out military, especially the MPs, we have a uniform in our home and you will give it respect, no matter who is inside it!"

Swanson huffed, "Yes Mr. Ford."

Ford nodded, and looked back to Chase sighing. "Lets get this over with."

XXX

"You want me to get you a place in the MPs? And in the interior no less. I know I said I owed you a favor but I'm not a miracle worker..."

Chase stood from his chair almost knocking it over in the process. "You listen to me, I've had a plan my whole life to join the MP's and I'm not going to let that fail because I was one rank away from being in the top ten. Do you understand me!"

Ford slumped back into his chair, "yes, I'll see what I can do."

Chase nodded, then something caught his eye, a flint lock pistol, it was a beauty of a piece. He wanted it, "I want that too." He said pointing to the firearm.

"What? No out of the question, that was my grandfather's its a family heirloom."

"Don't care, you owe me Ford..." He gave him a sideways glance, " or should I convince you some other way?"

"N-No that won't be necessary take it, the holster too."

"I'm glad we could of come to an agreeme-"

Before he can finish his sentence Swanton busted in the door, "you bastard!,"

"What the hell?" Chase asked reaching for his handles for his ODM that were not there. ' _Damn muscle memory!_ 'He thought.

"What is the meaning of this Swanson?" Asked Ford standing from his seat.

"That brat threatened you! I heard it through the doorway..."

"Your an eavesdropper now? Tich, just something more to add your fucked up resume I guess."

"Get out of here, you don't belong here you never have! I should have killed you and left you on the side of the road all those years ago."

Chase grabbed the pistol and pulled the hammer back. "You know Swanson threatening a soldier is a capital offense punishable by a lengthy stretch in the slammer, assaulting them? Death..."

"Don't try to fool me, you're still a Cadet!"

"Just graduated this morning actually..."

"Ahh, I dont give a damn!"

Chase looked over to Ford, "If you would kindly Mr. Ford control you're mutt, so I can get out of here..."

Thats when Swanson lost it, "I'm no mutt! Ahhh!"

Time seemed to slow as Swanson ran towards him, this seemed familiar...

 _Flashback_

 _"This move is helpful when someone is charging towards you, you ready?"_

 _Chase sighed, the hot sun was beating him down and on top of that Annie was too. "As i'll ever be..."_

 _With him being the rogue he charged towards her. Before he could connect the dummy dagger with her chest she sidesteped him and kicked the back of his leg. He went down and held his leg in, "aggh! Damn it._

 _She held her hand out to him, to witch he took._

 _"Damn you hit hard, can't you just hold back just a little?"_

 _Annie Smirked at him, "not a chance."_

Chase shook his head of the flashback, and took his stance, once Swanson reached for his neck he sidesteped him and kicked the back of his leg witched caused a ' _crack!'_

' _Hmm, maybe she was holding back on us after all.'_

"Ahhh! You son of a..."

Making sure a shot was in the pistol Chase pressed it up against his temple.

"If you ever such as look at me the wrong way again..." He pressed it harder into the side of his head. "I'll kill ya..."

Swanson was wimpering at this point and Rita was standing in the door way, in shock.

"Rita would you kindly remove Mr. Swanson from my study?" A tired Mr. Ford asked.

"Y-Yes sir." With that Rita drug him off no doubt taking him into a spare bedroom.

Chase straightened out his uniform and started examining the pistol further. "Yeah I like it," He looked towards Ford, "Got a shoulder holister I can have, can't let it get in the way of my ODM."

Ford pointed towards a cabinet, to witch Chase pulled out a brown leather holster. "Nice, very nice.

After staying for dinner at the Estate, witch Chase ate with the workers and maids. Said goodbye to Emma and Rita.

The carrage ride back to the southern cadet training camp was a long one and he dozed off for the rest of the way.

XXX

The morning he got back The 104th had been deployed to Trost and the Scout regiment was returning from a Expedition.

The crowd was cheering and for the regiment.

"Thats right Comander Erwin, did you give those bastards a thrashing!"

Chase looked over to five cadets to find it was Eren, Mikasa, Armin, Jennifer and Franz.

Armin was the first one to notice him walk up.

"Hey Holt we missed you last night."

"Hey guys, what'd I miss?"

"Oh just Eren's big speech."

Chase raised an eyebrow, "speech?"

Jenifer spoke up, "yeah he practically preached to us about Humanities future outside the walls, and how not to take it laying down."

Chase smirked at Eren, "well sounds about right."

Eren just rolled his eyes, "yeah, yeah."

"You know we have cannon maintenance to do in an hour right?" Asked Armin changing the subject.

Chase nodded, "Yeah figures they'd be having us do the grunt work.

Before thay could continue their conversation two Garrison soldiers walked up to them.

"Hey, hey looky here..." the blonde one spoke.

Eren repiled, "Mr. Hannes!"

"Word on the street is they let you graduate yesterday, either you've grown up or standards have plummeted!"

"Like you're one to talk, the Corps of Engineers keep their new chief in the drink?"

He ruffled his hair playfully, "watch it." Mr. Hanne's face became serious all of the sudden. " I'm sorry if this is out of the blue but I want you to know your mom's death still haunts me."

A second passed before Eren responded, "me too but it wasn't youre fault, we were shooting in the dark then. Noting like thats going to happen again, you know what we're dealing with now."

 _'Jeez Eren, dont jinx us_ ," Chase thought.

Eren looked like he was going to run out of embarrassment from another one of his speeches, till Chase spoke up. "So Eren your mom died during the fall wall Maria too?"

"huh?" He looked over to him, "yeah." He asnswered simply.

"I'm sorry...it's hard for all of us..."

"Yeah, I'm sorry too, it was hard..., but we'll make them pay!"

There was a second of silence before Hannes spoke up, "well kidos best be moving on to your squads." He chuckled, " those cannons aren't going to clean themselves."

"Oh yeah, fun, fun." Chase deadpanned before walking off. The others followed soon after.

Hannes watched them as they walked off, hoping the best for them.

XXX

Chase rammed the cleaning swab in and out of the cannon Barrel.

The cadets had cannon maintenance duty today, that was their first assignments when getting deployed to trost.

His squad witch included Christa, Ymir and two other cadets by the names of Derek Conn and Emily Fitzpatrick. The brass decided to appoint him squad leader, god knows why. To choose him to lead while there were two Cadet top tens in the same squad? someone either made a mistake or they really do have trust in him to lead the 104th's mounted Canon Squad six.

"Hey Holt can we take a break yet? I mean we've been at it for the longest time..." Ymir complained as she wiped down the cannon with a rag.

Holt shot her an annoyed glance, "Ymir we've only been here for like an hour, and just have two more cannons left.

Ymir rolled her eyes, "come on Eren's squad is just standing around, look..."

Chase looked on down the wall too the next emplacement of cannons. They were just standing around talking..."uhhh."

Ymir continued, "so I say we just take a breather and relax for a minute."

Christa spoke up, "come on Ymir, you know if the officers catch us slacking off were gonna get in trouble..."

Ymir wrapped her arm around Christa, "aww my Christa wanting to do the right thing. you're just too sweet..."

"Shut it," Chase said annoyed.

Ymir just huffed and kept scrubing.

Christa spoke up again, "Holt do you think..."

Christa was cut off by a flash. They all recoiled and covered their eyes.

"What the hell was that!?" Emily yelled

Chase blinked a few times before answering, "probably a misfire, damn idiots..."

It was Derek who answered him, 'I-I-I don't think that was a cannon missfire..."

Chase turned to face where the flash came from, "What are you talking ab-..."

The cadets saw it, death itsef. A skinless monster known as the Colossal Titan... they were staring death in the face.

Chase was the first one to speak, "no fucking way..."

Not a second later the outer gate was blown down. A wave of wind and steam blew a mile radius stretching from Eren's Squad to Chase's sending them all flying off the top of the wall.

One second he was standing on solid ground and the next he was sent free falling and plummeting to the ground.

 _'Shit, shit, SHIT!'_ Chase fired his hooks and by pure luck they found purchase. His boots dragged and dug into the side of the wall till he came to a stop. He let out a breath that he didn't know he had been holding, _'no, no, no, why...not again, its happening again!'_ Chase shook his head from his little panic attack. "Ok I got to pull it together..." He then spoke out to his squad, "Son of a bitch, sound off!" He called through the steam.

"Christa here, I'm ok!"

Ymir here, I'm alive!"

"Emily here, I'm up..."

Chase waited for the last member of they're Squad to sound off, witch never came.

"Derek, Derek Conn? Derek sound off god damnit!"

"Look!" Christa yelled then pointed to a roof top. It was Derek, he was sprawled out across the Rooftop, blood splattered around him.

"Shit..." Chase unhooked himself from the wall and started toward the roof, the others soon followed.

He landed next to him and kneeled down to check his pulse.

"I-Is he..." Christa started.

"Dead? unfortunately yes... man down." Chase confirmed.

"S-Should we start CPR?" Emily asked.

Chase shook his head, "no use, looks like he died on impact.

"Why didn't he engage his ODM?" She asked.

Chase shruged, "dont know, malfunction maybe?"

"H-Hey you guys up there!" a voice called up to them.

They looked over to see a group of scard of civilians, "w-what do we do!"

"Get to the inner gate, pack light, go now!"

"B-But our homes..."

Ymir spoke now, "Hey if you want to stay here and die that's your choice, but to anyone who wants to live i'd listen to the guy..."

The man cursed, "ok come on people!" With that they ran.

Christa smiled, "Ymir you really do care!"

Chase nodded, "yeah definitely wasn't expecting that..."

She rolled her eyes, "whatever."

"They're going to get in!" A voice seemed to echo throughout the whole of Trost.

"Was that Connie?" Asked Christa.

"I think so..." Chase relpied looking now for the first time at the gaping hole in the gate.

Another voice boomed from the wall, "this is it people do or die! Mounted Canon squad four take out the Colossal Titan!"

They looked to a person that had to be Eren ziping toward the Colossal Titan, "this is our chance don't let it slip away!"

They stood there shocked at the act, the lunatic that was Eren Yeager, seemed like a insect taking on a Giant. Then the monster swiped it's arm across the top of the wall taking out all the cannons.

Ymir even seemd to be shocked, "is that idiot really going to take it on by himself? It just took out all of our cannons! She spoke covering her eyes from dust.

"This can't be happening..." Emily spoke.

"How in the hell did it know to do that!?" Chase asked to nobody in particular.

"We have to help them, Connie, Eren and Sasha are up there!" Christa declared.

"Are you crazy fighting that thing is impossible..." Ymir argued.

"Yeah, I would have to agree..." Emily spoke.

Christa's eyes grew a Fierce determination in them, then looked to Chase, "Holt we gotta help them, they're our friends!"

"Damn it..." Chase wanted nothing more than to order the retreat and withdraw to the Garrison HQ. But those people up there where his friends, hell the closest thing he had to family, ' _heh, a misshapen, mismatched, fucked up family. But a family nonetheless.'_

He realized he was shaking, but them bit back the pure primal fear swellng up in him.

"Come on Holt we got to..." Christa was cut off by him.

Chase withdrew his ODM blades with a _shiing!,_ "I'm not forcing you to go if you don't want to, if you want to be selfish and guard your own life we'll understand, hell me of all people will. But those are are comrades up there, and I'll be damned if I'm going to stand around and let them fight alone!"

Ymir cursed under her breath, no doubt only going because of Christa, "fine lets get this over with..."

Emily sighed, "ok, lets do this...I guess.."

Chase leaned down to pull off Derek's ID tag, then took one last look at him. "Sorry man."

He shoved it in his brest pocket before giving the order.

"Mounted Canon Squad six, charge!"

They yelled and charged fourth, _'here we go...'_


	8. No Fate- 8, Trost, Into the fray

He knew this was a stupid idea, he knew and yet here he was moving at high rates of speed toward the very thing that wiped out a quarter of humanity just five years ago.

Eren was currently engaging it and trying for the nape. All the while it was reaching for him and trying to knock him from the sky. They needed a plan, thats when it hit him...

 _'Weakening a Titan via damaging its legs, eyes, or feet before making the kill is more efficient and more safer for making the cut at the nape. Statistics have shown that there is a dramatic decrease in fatality rates when engaging Titans this way. Mind you this must be done as a group effort, none the less it is very effective...'_

He had his plan, if it could be used against regular Titans it can be used against this big one right? Same principle, or at least he hoped.

"Ymir, Christa go for the left leg try to take it out! Emily you're with me let's go for the right one!"

"Got it!" they all seemingly replied in unison.

"Go for it, give it you're all, engage!"

He dropped down falling to the Titan's waist before engaging his ODM. He looked to his side to find Emily doing the same, and beyond that Crista and Ymir mirroring them.

 _'I can only hope this brings it down, then its all on Eren to make the cut. Damn can our blades even cut deep enough?'_ He shook his mind of the thought, this was no time for second-guessing themsleves. He and Emily were almost on it, all they had to do was cut the muscle and tendons on the back of the knee, if Christa and Ymir do their job right the Titan will fall, _'hopefully not on the wall.'_ Then Eren will swoop in and cut the nape killing it. Looks good on paper, in action? They would just have to wait and see.

They were on it now, Chase aimed his blades for the cut, "ugh!...huh?" The Titan billowed out steam and it engulfed the attackers. "Ahhh, fuck that's hot...ahh!" Chase scremed in pain.

Emily screamed in pain, "ahhh, I-I can't take it!"

He was sure Ymir and christa were doing the same. "Fuck, p-pull back, get to the wall!" He screamed as loud as he could considering it flet like the steam was burning his vocal cords and throat."

"Got it..." was Emily's reply yet he did not hear Ymir or Christa.

He retracted his hook from the colossal and shot up towards the wall through the steam, but as soon as it all started it seemingly vanished, the cool air which felt like a godsend swept over them and the steam dissipated. "What the hell?" He landed on the wall and began his ascent up and crawled over the edge of the wall.

"Holt!" a voice called out it was Emily, "are you ok?" She asked runing over to him.

He sat on his knees catching his breath, "I-I'm fucked up but i'm up...," Holt felt the burns he recieved from the steam, "where are the others?"

"Over there," she pointed to Eren's squad.

Thomas Wagner leaned over the wall, "Eren where'd he go, did he get away or did you take him out?"

"He's gone, exactly like five years ago, he's here one moment and gone the next; just like that!"

Chase got to his feet as Ymir and Christa landed next to them.

"Is everyone okay? Asked Christa

"For now it seems," replied Emily as they walked over to Eren's squad.

Eren seemed in shock, "I'm sorry I-"

Thomas cut him off, "don't apologize, look at us we were too scared to move..."

Connie spoke up. "Hey wallow on your own time, case you haven't noticed we got a breach. We have to act now if they start pouring in that's it!"

They noticed Chase's squad walk up, Thomas was the first to speak, "hey did you guys see that!?"

Chase nodded, "seen it? we were part of it..." He looked to Eren, "I take it you didn't get em then?"

Eren shook his head, "no, turned to steam before I could even make a cut..."

"Same here, we were trying to bring down its legs so you could go for the nape...huh?"

A voice sounded above them, "look alive!" A Garrison sergeant swooped in next to them and they all snapped to attention.

 _'we're not going to like this are we?...'_ Chase thought.

"Operation Colossal Titan response is now in effect, I expect you to take part! Report to HQ! If you got close to the damned thing we need details!"

"Sir"

"Sir"

"Sir, we pray the advanced team will be Victorious!" Connie added.

They all acknowledged the senior Soldier and made off to HQ. As other Garrison soldiers prepared the defenses.

XXX

The HQ courtyard was in chaos, cadets and Garrison soldiers alike trying to gear up in their ODM, fill their gas and replenish their blades.

Some were panicking, puking up their lunch and some even just staring off in the distance at nothing, "damn..."

He looked down and realized he was shaking. He gripped the canteen of water and dabbed the rag he had in it a few more times. _'were all screwed, aren't we?"_ He placed the cool wet rag on one of his more severe burns he got when facing the colossal.

He was so preoccupied with his own thoughts that he didn't notice someone was near him, till they placed their hand over his. He looked up, "A-Annie?"

She kneeled down across from him and took the rag in her hands, "yeah its me...are you ok?"

He shruged, "I lost one of my men when that thing kicked the wall in...other that and a few scraps and burns, I'm just peachy."

She sighed and started dabbing the burns. Chase raised an eyebrow, "we're in the open, people might see..."

She cut him off midsentence, "I don't care that bastard...Titan almost killed you."

Chase, noticed the pause but continued, "whats that matter?"

"It matters alot, you're the only one here that has shown real kindness to me, besides were in the corner and everybodys running about, I doubt they will notice us."

Chase smiled before he was cutoff by a Garrison lieutenant, "out of The Frying Pan Into the Fire cadets. Time to put your training to work, I have faith in each and everyone of you will be a credit to your regiment!"

Chase chuckled, "Yeah no shit..," he locked eyes with her, Hazel Green, met with Crystal blue. He have her a sad smile then let out a long sigh. "I gotta rally my squad..."

"Chase..."

He turned back around, " yeah..." he was interrupted by her lips crashing into his. His surprise turned into Bliss as he returnd it and embraced her, They both leaned into it. But as soon as it began they parted.

"Stay safe out there...please..." she pleaded genuinely.

He nodded after licking his lips..."I'll try, but that goes for you too."

She removed her hand from his chest... "good luck." She threw him one last rare smile before walking off to find her own squad.

Soon they all formed up and waited for Captian Woermann to give them the briefing.

"I want everyone to split into 4 squadrons as practiced, all squads are responsible for supply running, message relay, and enemy combat under the command of the Garrison regiment! The Intercept Squadron will be taking the Vanguard, cadets will be taking the middle guard, lead by the support squad, rear guard will go to the elites!"

Chase huffed in frustration, _'wouldn't it make sense to put the Elites in the Vanguard? So they just don't send us in as Titanfodder.'_

Woermann continued, "I expect all of you too man your posts knowing the advanced team has been wiped out!"

Gasps seemed to echo throughout the formation.

"Thats right the outer gate is history, the Titans are in. This means the armored Titan is likely to reappear, if and when he does the inner gate will also be history!"

More gasps took over the formation,

"This isn't happening..."

"Oh god no..."

"I'm gonna die..."

"Quiet!" He yelled over them, "Right, those in the vanguard be ready, the area is over run with Titans! Your mission is very simple one, defend the wall till the evacuations are done. Now be aware all of you, desertion is punishable by execution. If it comes down to it, lay down your lives, dismissed!"

They all snapped a salute, "sir!"

The formation split off and cadet scurried like ants to find their squads make last minute preparations before the fight.

Chase walked up to one of the Garrison lieutenant's office, then stood at attention, "sir, I have orders for a replacement in my squad, I'm one man short sir."

"Two man short actually, you're new designation is squad 36, I'm Assigning you Connie Springer and Caleb Zuburg as well as whats left of mounted Canon Squad six. That is all cadet.

'Connie...at least I know him...'

"Yes sir... but.."

The Lieutenant sighed and looked up at him, "yes?"

"Its just there are now three of the 104th top tens in my squad, and I'm the leader?"

"Look kid as far as I'm concerned that's not my job, besides the sad truth of it is most of you will be dead before night fall anyway..."

Chase's heart dropped at that, "w-what did you say?..."

He looked back up from his desk, "I sai-"

He was cut off by Chase kicking his desk over, "you bastard, I'd like to see you put your ass on the front line, see how long you last!"

"Get the fuck out of here or I'll write you up on charges!"

"Fuck you!" Chase stormed out slaming the officer's door in the process.

"Motherfucker, probably is going to withdrawal once the Titans breach the middle guard..." He had to keep his cool, his Squad and his comrades needed him right now, he calmed himself before moving on.

He soon formed up with his squad, on the outside of the wall , they were standing on a roof top waiting to be called up.

Trost was in turmoil, bulidings on fire. Titans lumbering around and more pouring in. bodies of soldiers as far as the eye could see, they even saw Titans devouring them in the distance. It was an absolute hell out there, and they we're getting ready to be thrusted into it. He looked to his squad, he saw the fear on their faces and hopelessness in their eyes.

"Hey guys, Ymir, Connie," he looked over to Christa, " before this shit goes down I need to know you guys are all right taking orders from me? He looked over to Emily and the new guy Caleb. Before looking back to the top tens, "do any of you want to lead this squad? You were in the top ten..."

They stayed silent, none of them wanted the responsibility to rest on their shoulders. Only the sounds of battle could be heard in the distance, screams and blades meeting flesh, before Christa spoke up, "Holt I believe you can lead us! I mean you got us through the Colossal Titan and Derek's death, we'll be good under you're leadership."

Chase smiled, "thanks Christa."

"Yeah what the hell, you did it before you'll do it again." Ymir stated.

"Yeah Holt, I don't mind you leading, just dont get us killed...ok?"

Chase chuckled, "I'll try by best." He felt at ease now, "thanks guys..."

"Hey it's Eren's Squad!" Called out Christa...

They all looked as Eern, Armin, Thomas, Mina and the others charged deeper into Trost.

"Good luck guys."

XXX

They waited what seemed like hours but in reality was probably just 15-20 minutes before one of the Garrison Sergeants called them up. "Ok squad 36, move in, they need more reinforcements!"

Chase nodded, "sir!" He looked back to the others before unsheathing his blades, "come on squad 36 move out!"

 _'Great...this is gonna be a shit show...'_

They ran along the roof tops and used ODM when needed, thats when he notice they were coming across the sector Eren's squad had been deployed at.

"Heads up people, were overlaping where Eren's squad was. Keep an eye out for them and Titans!" Chase shouted.

"Right!"

They flew over streets stained with blood and gore. Once they passed over a tower is when a Titan chomped at Connie, he yelled in surprize.

"We got a titan three o clock, engage!" Chase yelled out. _'This is it our first engagement with a normal sized titan...please don't lose anyone!'_

 _"_ Ymir go for the left leg, Christa the nape! I'll distract it and go for the eyes! The rest of you watch our backs!" After giving his orders they went in.

Once Ymir made the cut on the left leg it fell, reaching for the bulidings for support. Chase launched himself on top of it's head then leaned over and stabbed it's eyes out leaving it completely distracted and safe for Christa to slice the nape.

"Now Christa!" He called out.

She sprang forth and made the cut, "Ah!" The nape flew off and the Titan collapsed, steam emitting from its body. It fell to the ground with a thud, the only thing for Chase to hold onto was the handles of his blades.

Chase pulled them out and flew to a rooftop, "We did it people, anyone hurt?"

"No I think were okay." Connie, replied.

"That was the only Titan for blocks, that means either Eren's Squad kicked ass or got devoured and the Titans moved on." Ymir stated.

"Hey don't say things like that!" Connie, shouted angrily.

Ymir just gave him a pointed look, "Look I'm just being realistic, look around you. squads are being wiped out left and right, sometimes we got to assume the worst..."

Connie was going to retort tell he got cut off by Chase, "regardless we have a mission to do, come on. And for thw love of god stop fighting like a married couple..."

Both Ymir and Connie recoiled at that, "hey, uhh"

Chase looked at them annoyed, "move it.

The Squad continued across the rooftops, moving deeper into Trost, Chase couldn't help but feel worried _, 'this can't be, we haven't seen Eren's squad yet... you'd think we would of run into them at this this point...'_

 _"_ Hey we got alive one here!" Chase was shook from his thoughts by Emily.

She landed on the roof top where the cadet was, thats when it hit him.

"Hey is that...?"

"Armin!?" Connie finished as he and the others landed next to them.

"O-Ok peolpe I want a perimeter, keep watch for anymore Titans."

He and Connie walked over to him. "Hey Armin are you ok?"

Armin just sat there looking to the sky, he had the thousand yard stare and appeared to be in shock.

"Armin?" Chase asked still not getting an answer.

Connie grabbed him by the shoulders and shook him, "Wake up, Armin hey can you hear me? Snap out of it! I need you to talk to me say something?"

Connie's jarring seemed to work, Armin blinked and started looking around.

"There you are, you with me now?"

Chase kneeled down, "Armin what happend, where is your squad?"

He replied in the shaky voice, "S-Squad?"

He must of been in shock, "Ok lets get you on your feet, you shouldn't be up here alone."

Connie reached to help him to his feet but recolied at the touch, "ew, what the hell do you got all over you thats so damn slimy, what happend?"

Armin's expression turned from one of shock, to one of primal terror, "ahhhh! you're worthless why can't you just die!?

Both Chase and Connie recoiled at this, till Connie spoke again trying to calm him. "H-Hey you need to pull yourself together!"

"Damn youu!"

Chase put another and on his shoulder, "Armin, where is everyone?"

"Let it go guys, he's it, the rest of them are dead." Ymir said

Connie balled his fists in anger, " damn it don't talk like that, we can't assume he's the only one!"

Ymir became annoyed, "look around you, isn't it obvious? We can't waste any more time here with him, we gotta move on."

"You're not making any sense why would the Titans just ignore him?"

She shrugged, " I don't know maybe they thought he was already dead or something." She turned to look at him, "When you get right down to it that's the real tragedy here, Eren and the others bust their asses and the one left standing is him..."

"Alright that does it bitch, I'm going to shut your mouth up permanently!"

Before it could get out of hand Christa stood in between them. "Both of you stop it right now! Look we're all at the end of our tether ok? we're seeing our friends getting killed like animals, it's normal to be upset..."

She was interrupted when Ymir through an arm around her. "Look at my Christa keeping the peace! You're so going to have to marry me after all this crap is over, hahaha!"

"Yeah well, she'd best get ahold of that mouth..." Connie said through gritted teeth.

"If you two are done?" Chase spoke up, "I hate to say it Connie, but Ymir's got a point. We gotta move on, but..." He gave a pointed look to Ymir, "like hell we're going to leave him behind." He turned to Armin reaching his hand out, "come on Armin let's get out of here, can you stand?"

Armin, suddenly stopped what he was doing and stood. He voice became monotoned, "sorry to be a nuisance don't worry about me... I'll rendezvous with the rear guard."

Connie spoke up, "but...Armin!?"

Armin shot off the roof and ziped away.

"A-Armin, wait!" Chase called out.

They both stood over the edge watching him fly away.

"Hey you guys, hop to, we've been giving orders to advance!" Informed Caleb

Chase noddd, "right, lets move out!"

The others started to zip away as Chase slaped Connie's back, "come on, we gotta go, we can only hope that he will be allright."

Connie nodded and took one last glance before ziping away with Chase.

XXX

The fight was going surprisingly well for Squad 36, there were a few close calls but they had made it. Chase however despite their successes was getting paranoid, they had eliminated four more Titans and were about a mile and a half away from Garrison HQ. He just had a gut feeling something was about to go wrong.

' _tsk! When dont I have a feeling someting is gonna go wrong when fighting Titans..'_ He thought to himself sarcastically.

He stood over the edge of the buliding looking out for more squads as well as Titans.

"Hey Holt, were about half done with our gas should we rendezvous with a supply Squad at a supply point?" Asked Connie walking up behind him.

"No I say we push in a little further, about four more blocks then double back."

Connie shruged, " you're the squad leader."

Chase turned back to his squad, they were resting, drinking water and checking their gear when he spoke up. "Ok squad 36, were on the move again, we haven't made contact with any Garrison soldiers or other squads for about an hour now. We can only assume the worst, none the less we got orders. Were moving in acouple more blocks then once our tanks reach the quarter mark, were double back, got it?"

They nodded and the ones who weren't standing already stood.

He waved them on, "lets go!"

They patroled the street level, fortunately only coming across one four meter Titan.

Chase ziped to it, then launched himself over and came down opon it. Chase smiled as his blades cut through its nape with ease.

 _'Frst Titan Kill by myself, hell yeah.'_

"Hey Holt if you're done playing one man show ,we got something!" Ymir called out annoyed.

Chase grumbled, "one man show my ass..." He shot up to her roof, after changing his blades.

She was looking down at something...

He landed on her roof top and looked on the sight before them. Two Titans were crawling all over a house. Reaching and looking in the broken doors and windows.

"There must be someone in there!" Realized Christa.

"Damn it... could be civilians in there." Chase said aloud.

"Well what do we do!" Connie asked.

There were two Titans, he looked back, six of them. If he divided them up in groups of three to a Titan and give them autonomy of how to deal with said Titan...

"Ok Me, Connie, and Caleb is group one, Ymir, Christa and Emily you are group two. You have full autonomy of how to deal with it, just take it out."

They all nodded in agreement.

Chase returned the nod, "ok squad lets move!"

The two groups lept into action, Chase went for the back of the leg while Connie and Caleb went for the nape and eyes respectively.

His blades dragged through it's flesh, and it came down to one knee, Chase landed on the adjacent roof. Waiting for his team to make their respective cuts. Caleb threw his blades in it's eyes, witch made it roar in pain. Connie then precisely sliced the nape, sending it flying to the street below them.

Chase smiled, _'good work guys...'_

Chase didn't know what compelled him to look behind in the courtyard of the building he was standing on. Maybe it was the hairs standing up on the back of his neck? Maybe it was his sixth sense? Or maybe it was just because he was paranoid from the battle...

Whatever the case he was glad he did, there it was, a Titan. It was crouched like a frog just waiting to pounce. It has this lunatic grin across its face that he will never forget till the day he dies... time seemed to slow as he stood there wided eyed at his near death...,"woah!"

It launched itself toward him, by pure luck and by the skin of his teeh, he hit the floor, the Titan missing him by just centimeters. So close he could briefly smell the damn thing.

It flew over him and into the area where his squad was, he heard a scream, thats when he knew something happened.

 _'Oh god no...'_

He leaned up to his knees to see... Emily. It had her full body in it's mouth except a leg and some of her torso.

' _crunch!'_ It bit down, her leg falling to the streets below. The rest of her went down it's throat as it swallowed.

"O-Oh my god..."

"Ahhhh, noo let go of me!" Caleb screamed as the Titan that Ymir's group failed to take out no doubt because of their 'visitor,' had taken hold of him, it grabbed him with both hands before breaking his back.

"Noooooo-" ' _Crack!'_ "Uhh, oh goddd..." It shoved him whole in its mouth chewing a few times before it swallowed.

Chase was at a loss for words, he just lost two of his squad in the span of once minute...he finally snapped out of it and found his voice, "W-We got an abnormal!" He screamed out.

The abnormal looked at him while he said this, seemingly smiling at him for what it did to Emily, her blood still on it's chin and lips. But instead of pouncing on them, it did the most surprising thing of all, it hopped away from them, like a frog on pond water it jumped away, throwing 'him' side glances every so offten.

"What the...hell?"

"Ughhh!" Chase looked to the side of him when Ymir was finishing off the Titan that ate Caleb.

"Bastard!" Connie yelled, "that damn abnormal stood in our way, we couldn't do a damn thing to save him!"

Chase stood shakeley to his feet, "damn it, you guys ok?" He called down to them.

"We lost them both! Where in the hell did that abnormal go off to!?" Ymir yelled out.

He ziped to the street level with them, weary of the direction the abnormal went off to.

"Help me cut him out Holt!" Connie yelled over to him"

"Connie..." Chase began

"Come on he might be alive!"

"Connie!" Chase yelled, then shook his head in sorrow. No use, it chewed him up..."

"Where did that thing come from?" Asked Christa walking up to them.

Chase looked over to the house he was standing on, "From the Courtyard behind that house, bastard got the drop on me..."

"Guys..." Ymir drew her blades, " I heard a sound come from the house..."

Chase snaped out of the daze he was in, "right lets check it out..." He sheathed his blades and withdrew his flintlock, If there was a thee meter or lower in here he'd rather put few feet between him and it, best case was he could shoot it's eye out.

"Woah how did you get that? Connie asked

"Dont worry about it, follow me..."

They moved in the house, it looked like everything had been left in hurry. The intieior looked bad but nothing like the outside did currenty.

Chase beagn to whisper, "Connie, Ymir check down stairs, me and Christa will take the up stairs."

Agreeing what was left of squad 36, searched the house.

He searched bedroom after bedroom, Christa followed him him before they came across the last room on this floor the bathroom... Chase grabbed the knob with a shakey hand. Then looked over to Christa..."You ready?" he asked whispering.

She nodded her head and readied her blades. He flew open the door to find a tub.."huh...?"

All of a sudden a women poped up out of it a broom handle in hand fashioned as a weapon, "get away from us! Ahhh!"

Chase took a shocked step back, "woah, woah lady!"

"eeep!" Christa ducked a blow to her head.

He heard the boots of Ymir and Connie start upstairs.

"Lady stop were the military!" Chase yelled out.

"ma'am please!" Christa pleeded.

Ymir and Connie came in the door way, "what the hell is going on?" Connie asked.

The women realized they infact were not Titans, "huh? Y-You are human?" She dropped to her knees and sobbed. "Oh thank the three walls! I thought they left us behind, my husband is in the Garrison regiment he said to stay put and he would come back with a special pass that would let us By-Pass all the others, b-but he never came back..."

Chase was beyond annoyed, hell he was furious, " let me get this straight lady, you stayed behind because you thought you're husband would come back with a 'golden pass' that would put you to the front of the line!"

"Yes...?"

He grabbed her by the collar of her shirt, "lady I just lost two good soldiers and almost my own life because Titans were in this sector! If it wasn't for you the Titans would have no reason to be here, thus we would have no reason to be here!"

"C-Chase please stop!" Christa pleaded.

Chase looked to her, "Christa why in the hell would I do that? This bitch just got Emily and Caleb killed!?"

"Look..." She pointed to the tub where two kids were pokeing their heads out.

Chase sighed, "god damn it..."


	9. No Fate-9, Trost, FUBAR

Oh how they were in a predicament, they were almost out of gas, low on blades and on top of that they had three civilians to tend for. Making it worse two of said civvies where children. If he ever got his hands on this lady's husband...

He sat up from the kitchen chair he was in to look outside the destroyed window, no sign of Titans for blocks even better no sign of that damn abnormal either. He needed to do someting and fast, priority one was of course getting civilians out, two was finding a supply point so they could restock on gas and blades. From there they could carry on till the withdraw signal was given.

He sighed, "ok guys I got a plan..." Chase called to the others to witch they came over to him. "First check your tanks, I want to know who has the most gas out of everybody here..."

The squad took a few moments to check over their equipment before they answered.

"I got just over a quarter tank"... Connie informed.

Chase nodded to him, "about the same for me, Ymir, Christa?"

They looked at eachother, "just under that..." Ymir replied for them.

Chase sighed once more, "Ok so there's no way all of us are going back to the inner gate. He looked to Connie before taking off his tanks, "Connie...give Ymir you're tanks."

"What?" He questioned.

Chase handed Christa his tanks. "Come on thats an 'order'," he looked back to the two girls. "You guys hand over you're tanks to us."

Connie seemed to realize what Chase's plan was, "I-I'm not going to like this am I?"

Chase shot him a sideways smirk, "nope..."

Connie sighed while taking off his tanks, "damn it."

The squad exchanged tanks with eachother so Chase and Connie would have the less filled tanks and Ymir and Christa would have the more filled tanks. It was a difficult call to make, but no matter how bad Chase didn't want to, he put his self preservation on the back burner.

 _'Heh, I swear Eren or one of these assholes has rubbed off on me..."_ Just a couple of years ago he would just watchout for himself...not counting that thing with the break in at Fords in all...

"Ok here's the plan, Ymir and Christa you escort the civilians back to the inner gate. Make sure they get there, Connie and I will stay in Trost and try to rendezvous with whoever is left out there."

"Figures we get stuck with babysitting..." Ymir said sarcastically.

"Hey at least you are pulling out to the inner gate! We still gotta stay here!" Connie countered annoyed.

Ymir gave a thoughtful look, "hmm, good point."

"Better be off then," Chase urged as a Titan started slowly lumbering it's way towards them. "Good luck..."

"Right, come on lady," Ymir picked her up Bridal style while Christa put the two kids on her back.

"Good luck, Holt, Connie, be safe." Christa said before turning to the kids. "Its gonna be ok, whats you're name? Hold on tight you two..." She siad as they stated to zip away.

Chase smiled as they flew away toward the inner gate.

"Godspeed, come on Connie let's get out of here." Chase said as he weary looked at the bloodstains and steaming Titan Corpses on the street.

"Right, I had enough of this place anyway."

With that they started to a supply point a few blocks away.

XXX

Chase and Connie got to a supply point just 'fine', It was the 'supply' part of that was not 'fine'.

"Where in the hell are the supply squads!?" Chase said confused.

Before Connie could answer a _'bang!'_ Sounded, they all looked toward the inner gate and a single green smoke flare fell from the sky. One more came afterward but from then on silence.

"Are you fucking kidding me? Thats the withdraw and we don't got any fucking gas!?"

"Look!" Connie, pointed out, Jean was setting on a nearby roof. "Come on he might know whats going on."

They ziped towards Jean's building and landed near him.

He looked up, "Holt, Connie you guys made it...Ymir and...Christa?"

Chase shook his head, "don't worry man they're just fine, I had them escort a group of civilians that didn't evacuate in time to the inner gate."

Jean nodded, "at least we have some good news..."

"Hey Jean, what are we gonna do!?"

He sighed, "we can't do anything," he looked. toward the gate where faint green smoke trails lingard. "They finally give us the order to withdraw and we're all out of gas of course. I can't believe this is how it's going to end, because of those damn cowards."

As they talked Chase looked around the roof tops, cadets were everywhere that's when he saw Armin. He was just sitting alone, seemingly in shock again.

Chase shook his head, _'at least he made it here with us, it would be hell for him if he was alone...'_

"You mean the supply Depot?" Connie continued, "what is going on, where in the hell are they?"

Jean put a hand to his head, "they all lost their will to fight, and I can understand why. But they abandoned their duties to supply us, barricading themselves inside HQ, and of course the Titans are swarming the place witch means we can't get the gas ourselves."

"Then why are we waiting? We gotta go start thining their numbers so we have a chance! Sitting on this roof is totally pointless, sooner or later the Titans are going to come for us! I know we don't have much gas left but we'll just waste what little we have if we try to run, and with out our ODM we're completely screwed!" Connie stated as he hit the side of his tanks.

"Heh, you're using your head for once Connie nice going, I'm not sure if we have the numbers to pull this thing off. All the veterans in the Vanguard Force have been killed, how exactly do a bunch of rookies pull off a suicide mission like this?" Jean looked down in hopelessness, "I mean let's assume half of our force survives the initial assault, then what? The supply room is probably crawling with Titans in the three and four meter range, I just don't see us doing much in there..."

The realisation grew on Connie's face, "I-Its hopeless..."

Jean sighed, "God what a dull life this turned out to be, I didn't even get to tell her how I feel..."

Chase started to feel the hopelessness wash over him like a wave. "Damn it," He took a seat next to a wall and leaned his head back.

It was going so well till that colossal showed up, he would of been in the MP this time next week. They all were totally screwed, he'll never get to see Rita or Emma again...never get his revenge against the royalty for his father and all who died durning the 'reclamation operation.' A tear ran down his cheek, "Jeans right, what a dull life this was..."

"Chase..." a voice wispered behind him.

"Huh?" He looked around the corner of the wall he was leaning on. There was a balcony just out of sight of the others. He smiled, "Annie..." Making sure no one was watching him he jumped to it.

Waiting a few seconds to be sure no one was eavesdropping, they started whispering to each other.

"Chase I'm so glad you're alive, when what was left of the squads met up here, I thought you would never show up." She hugged him, "I thought you were dead..."

Chase returned the hug before pulling back, "I almost was, an abnormal almost got the drop on me." A shiver went up his spine, "got two of my squad killed."

Annie's eyes held remorse in them. "I'm sorry..."

 _'When she doesn't have her usual nonchalant cover on, she's almost like a normal girl...'_ Chase blinked out of his musings when she asked him a question.

"H-How did it happen?"

Chase went wide eyed, "I-I'd rather not talk about it...sorry."

She gave him an understanding nod, they were cut off by voices above..."Mikasa!? weren't you in the rear guard?"

Chase raised an eyebrow, "Mikasa is here?"

They both went up to roof level again the attention had shifted to Mikasa. None of them really expected her to come here.

Mikasa spotted them, "Annie!" she called out, "I know how bad things have gotten. It's selfish putting personal matters in the forefront but have you seen Eren's squad?"

Annie took on her usual facade, "some squads have made it back, but I don't know about Erens..."

Chase spoke up, "Mikasa my squad found Armin a few hours ago...alone," he pointed. "He is over there, but a fair warning... he's not himself it seems like."

Mikasa nodded in thanks, "Thank you Holt, Annie..." With that she made her way over to him. "Armin!"

His head shot up from his shocked state.

She slowly knelt down infront of him, "Armin...are you ok, you're not hurt are you?"

When he didn't answer she stood up, "where is Eren?"

Armin started sobbing...

"Armin?"

He finally gatherd the courage to look her in the eye, tears streemed down Armin's face.

Mikasa looked taken aback by this, "huh?..."

"T-They were the cadets of squad 34, Thomas Wagner, Nack Tierce, Milieus Zeremski, Mina Carolina...Eren Yeager!"

The cadets seemed to notice this and all turned to look.

Armin continued to cry, "These brave five upheld their duties. They died valiantly on the field of battle!"

A few gasps sounded near them, it was called for I mean Eren, the Eren that swore up and down to kill all the Titans, dead?

Chase looked down and sighed, He wanted to keep out hope, maybe a few survived? But this all but confirmed it. Just more casualties the add to the growing list.

"Please no..." Sasha said next to them.

"His whole squad was wiped out...?"

"The same will happen to us if we try to take on those Titans..."

"I-I'm so sorry Mikasa, It should of been me that died, not Eren! I-I couldn't do a thing, I'm worthless..."

Mikasa leaned down and placed a hand on Armin's, "Armin.." He looked up at her. "Calm yourself we haven't got time for you to be emotional right now..."

Armin looked shocked, like he was expecting her to chew him out or something. Hell they all expected a little bit more of a reaction than this, I mean its 'Eren' the person you couldn't get her away from.

"On your feet," She pulled him up then turned around. "Marco? If we eliminate or by pass the Titans at HQ, we can there refuel our gear allowing us to get back over the wall. Is that assessment correct?"

"Uhh yeah I guess so sure, but theres just too many of them out there, even with you on point..."

"I can do it, I'm strong, real strong," she pointed her blade to the sky, "none of you come close, you hear me? I am a Warrior! Know this I have the power to slay all of the Titans that block our path, even If I have to do it alone."

There was a coldness in her grey eyes...well there always was but this was different.

"As far as I'm concerned I'm surrounded by a bunch of unskilled cowardly worms!" She pointed her blade to them.

Other cadets looked on in shock and disbelief.

Mikasa continued, "you disappoint me, you can just set here twiddle your thumbs and watch how it's done!"

Cadets started to protest, "wait Mikasa are you out of your mind? Thats crazy!"

"You can't be serious trying to take them out by yourself!?"

"Theres no way you can hope to beat them!"

She ignored them, "if I can't beat them I die, but if I win I live. And the only way to live is to fight!" With that she took off toward HQ.

"Hey!" Marco called to her.

"Mikasa wait!" Chase called out.

"You know I was expecting something more motivational. Your way with words is kind of a letdown," he took out his blades, " I blame everything about this on you Eren!" Jean raised his blade to the air, "Hey don't just stand there, we weren't taught to let our comrades fight alone! Unless you are a coward, in that case stay out of my way!" Jean started running, Connie not far behind.

"I never really expected that from him..." Riner commented.

Cadets started wiping the tears from their faces and sighing before pulling their blades out.

"Hey seriously, come on you bunch of chickens!" Sasha shouted before taking off.

"There nuts!"

"Come on lets go..."

Chase sighed before taking his blades out, "son of a bitch..." he waved the rest of the cadets on with his head, "come on you sorry bunch of bastards, charge!"

"Ahhhhh! the whole of the cadets screamed in union.

He took off quickly catching up to Jean and Mikasa.

"Hurry up follow Mikasa! Avoid fighting if you can, and get to HQ before you run out of gas! Ordered Jean..

Chase looked up at Mikasa, ' _why is she going so fast?'_

She slinged herself off a tower and cut a Titan's nape then rounded the corner shortly after.

'Mikasa slow down!" He yelled out to her, but she either ignored him or didn't hear...

Then her Crusade came to a sudden end when her gas fizzled out sending her slamming into a roof and plummeting to the ground.

"No!" Chase yelled.

"Mikasa!" Armin yelled making his way over to her.

"Holt I'm going after Armin!"

Chase nodded, "right, Jean and I will lead the cadets to HQ!"

"No Im going to!" Declared Jean...

"Dont be stupid, there are still Titans everywhere! you got to help the others! Chase got me, Ymir and Christa this far... he knows what he's doing I'll vouch for him, now go!" Connie argued, with that he went after Armin.

"Come on Jean we gotta make it to HQ in one piece..."

"Right Holt I trust you..."

They went on for what seemed like another few blocks till cadets started running out of gas.

"Damn it hold up!" Shouted Chase, he landed on a roof top Jean and Marko landing close to him.

"It's no use we're not getting anywhere near headquarters, unless of course we don't mind dying..."

Chase nodded his head in agreement, then turned when he heard someone on the ground..."fuck the guy is out of gas!"

"S-stay back!" the cadet shouted futilely waving his blades at the creature.

"Tom i'll save you!"

"I'm coming!"

Two cadets shouted making thier way to him.

"No hold position!" Chase shouted to them but they ignored him continuing to their friend's aid.

"No, let go of me, ahh!"

Chase watched in horor as one by one the three Cadets were feasted upon...his fists shook in anger and fear. "W-Why is this happening?" He turned to the small contingent that made it in this group. "listen to me! If any of you go after someone on the ground its a death sentence! I don't like it any more than you do, but if someone runs out of gas we can't help them... if you ignore this I'll take your damn tank off myself, then push you to the street! Got it, nobody stops!"

"Yeah you Idiots...huh?" Jean stopped his rant when somthing caught his attention. "Holt look!"

He turned..."oh..."

"T-They are distracted now is our chance to make a break for it!" Jean declared.

"R-Right, come on lets go, make a break for HQ!" Chase yelled engaging is ODM and with Jean on his heels.

Sasha, Marco, Annie and the rest followed soon after.

"Give it everything you got!" Jean yelled out.

"Heads up we got three Titans front!" Chase called out.

They flew straight into them, Chase dodged the first hand and looked back to see that one grabbed Jean...

"Jean no!" Chase yelled.

With a Swift slice Jean severed it's fingers off him, Jean looked up to Chase with a smirk witch quickly disappeared. "H-Holt, behind you!"

"Huh?" Chase's relieved smile went to a frown, he turned to find a familiar face...time slowed to a crawl once again for him.

 _'O-Oh my god...its that abnormal that ate Emily...shit...'_

The 'frog' Titan jumped and caught Chase in it's mouth whole.

"Holt!" Jean yelled as they flew passed them.

"Damn it no!" Marco screamed as they landed on a roof and kept running.

"Ugh!" Chase kneeled inside the Titan's mouth. He pryed the jaw open using one of his blades and stabbing it in the roof of the mouth, thats when he saw Annie. She flew past him with Reiner and Berthold they all had shocked looks on their faces, but Annie had one of pure terror.

"Chase!" She called out turning to help.

"No! all of you keep the corse god damn it, you're almost there!"

"Noo!" Annie shouted in protest.

The Titan used it's hand to shove him deeper in it's mouth. Chase saw light for the last time before the Titan snaped its jaw shut.

"Fuck!" not seeing anything else to do, he got in the fetal position to keep his limbs away from teeth.

 _'I can't die like this!_...'

The Titans tongue pushed him deeper inside the mouth near the throat. Chase decided then and there he wasn't going down without a fight!

He stabbed on of his ODM blades in the tongue, "uh...come on...no!" All the blade managed to do was slice down sending him in the throat.

"O-Oh my god...this is it."

It's throat muscles contracted sending him down into the stomach.

"No, no! Please god Help me!" he wanted to reach for his blades, knife or somthing but it was just too slippery from the Titan saliva and on top of that the space was just too narrow for him to maneuver around.

The last thing he remembered was a splash then Darkness..."

XXX

Jean looked in shock, "w-we lost Holt!"

"You heard him Annie let's go!" Reiner yelled pulling her back.

"Damn it!!" She yelled pushing him away from her.

Seeing no one elsetaking charge Jean steped up, "come on one last push!"

They all breaked for HQ, a Titan reached up and grabbed another cadet out of the sky...

"Damn it..." Jean was coming on to the HQ, he saw his entry point then launched himself and busted through a window. He skidded to a halt.

Soon others came through, sending glass throughout the Library area. The room was silent except for the gasps of air from the cadets, and glass falling from the windows.

Jean looked over and saw two cadets hiding under a desk. "Hold on a sec are you guys with the supply team?"

The male cadet noded shaking, "y-yeah."

Jean grabbed the boy by his uniform jacket then proceeded to punch him. He went to the floor in a heap.

Marco came in from behind to restrain him.

"You cowards, you left us out there on our own! People are dead because, you didn't have the guts to do your job!"

The female cadet kneeled to the boy's side, "Titans we're coming at us from every angle! They over ran the supply room ok!?"

"It's your job to deal with it and back us up anyway!" Jean screamed.

A noise sounded outside...

"...Hit the deck!" Called out Reiner, as a Titan's head smashed through the far wall.

"There's too many people they can smell us!" Jean shouted.

"Run!"

"Run get further in!"

"We can't go all at once!"

"Where is Mikasa, has anyone seen her!?"

"She ran out of gas, forget about her she's dead."

"Holt got ate by a Titan, whos gonna form us up? One of the top tens!?"

Jean kneeled there, he couldn't move. He just looked into the Titan's eyes.

This was it, its over. This mission was doomed from the start, somehow he knew that from the very beginning...

The two faces peeking through the hole in the wall were sent flyng by a fist.

Jean stood in shock, "What!"

Another Titan stood infront of the hole, then roared.

"What the...my god..."

Another window. broke revealing Mikasa, Connie and Armin.

"M-Mikasa you're..."

"Close one, I was running on fumes there, but we made it, crazy but we did." Connie said knocking on his tanks.

"Y-You, am I dreaming this or what?"

Connie wrapped his arm around Armin, "you're a certified genius, from now on your word is law!"

"W-What is going on?" Asked Jean.

Connie stood to face Jean and Marco, "check it out, we found an abnormal that has a bone to pick with it's own kind. and the best part? It could care less about us!"

Jean and Marco stood there shocked, Connie continued, "that's right you heard me, that big beautiful SOB is out ticket out of here!"

"You mean like fighting fire with fire?" Marco asked.

Jean was skeptical, "listen to yourself there's no way Titans going to help us! You're out of your mind if you think this can work..."

"It is working," interrupted Mikasa, "for whatever reason he's rampaging against them. Just stand back trust me you'll see... what choice do we have, either way that thing is are best chance of survival."

"Hey Holt, you gotta see this!" Connie yelled out. There was no responce, "Holt, where are you come on man, this is amazing!"

Jean looked down in sorrow, and Annie turned away to look out a window. "C-Connie...Holt is dead.

"W-What? No he was just here a second ago, didn't he lead you all here?"

"Yeah but he got snached up by an abnormal, it ate him whole... lost a few more before and after him too..."

"Damn it," Connie's smile faded, "you guys didn't even try to save him!?"

Reiner spoke up, "he told us not to, besides we were almost out of gas, If we did more people would of died..."

Armin sighed, "damn it..."

"No use of morning over him now," Mikasa said sadly. "He wouldnt of wanted us to do that. We gotta form a plan If were gonna get out of here. If we don't him and all the others that died would of in vein."

Armin nodded, "right...I have an idea..."

XXX

 _'He's gone, I'm all alone now...'_ Annie slammed her fist into the wall she was sitting against.

If only she had stayed closer to him, maybe she could of cut the Titan's nape...

"Annie..." She looked up at Reiner who was holding a rifle out to her. "Time to go, we need to be in on Armin's plan."

She raised an eyebrow, "so this isn't to shoot myself with?"

"No." He simply replied as she took the rifle. He kept hold of it and leaned into her ear. "I know you felt something for Holt...it's in the past now. But if you continue to jeopardize our mission by fraternizing with these.." He glanced around making sure no one was around, "devils...lets just say I'm curious what war chief Zeke will have to say about that..." He let go of the weapon.

Annie stared up at him the same facade she had adopted over these last last years, "Whatever you say Reiner..." She pushed passed him as she walked off to the lift room.

Once they were all there Armin began his breif of his plan. "We're looking at seven Titans in the supply room of the four meters tall variety. If we time this perfectly, this much ammo will be enough to do the trick." Armin pointed down to the paper he had rolled across the floor. "Step one, we lower a group of soldiers via the lift, we distract the Titans and get their attention. Step two, when the Titans are getting in range the group fires hopefully blinding the Titans. Now for the hard part, we send seven cadets to strike the vital parts when the Titans are regenerating.These need to be the cadets best skilled with their pairing blades. That's it that's the plan, it puts all of our lives at risk, but it is the best I could of come up with."

"Sounds like a sound plan to me." Reiner nodded in agreement.

"When You get right down to it the risk is the same for everyone, doesn't matter who stays or goes." Annie stated leaning on her rifle.

"Look I'm willing to be talked out of this, one half baked strategy can't be our only option right?"

"Hey don't be so hard on yourself, with what we're looking at for our only option it's pretty well-thought-out. If we give it our all we might just pull this off!" Marco said agreeing with his plan.

"It will be fine, you just have to be confident you're a better strategist then what you give yourself credit for..." Mikasa said.

Annie had to admit this was a long shot by far, but unless her, Reiner and Berthold we're going to transform then and there, this is the only other option they had.

Soon they made their way down stairs, they strategized on how they're going to take them down With out ODM gear. Then Reiner made an ass joke...

Annie rolled her eyes, _'always trying to be the big brother, always trying to be Marcel...'_ she thought to herself bitterly.

They perched themselves on the beems and waited. The lift came down and they all aimed their rifles at the ready. Soon the Titans faced them, their grins ever so intimidating, they advanced towards them.

' _Gotta make this work...heh no doubt some of them are more proficient with the damn rifles because of Chase...'_

The Titans came to a stop infront of them now...

"Fire!" Yelled Marco.

The supply room lit up in a volley of rifle fire. They jumped forth and sliced for the napes of the Titans..all but for two.

"Sasha and Connie missed!" Berthold called out.

"Lead them the hell back!" Jean yelled

One Titan leaped for Sasha, "I said I was sorry!" She yelled out as she barely missed it.

The other was slowing advancing on Connie.

Mikasa and her locked eyes and without another word they both lept foward killing the Titans.

Mikasa killed the one going for Sasha and Annie the one trying for Connie.

' _Heh just like in the wilderness survival training...'_ Annie mused, it wasn't offen her and Mikasa saw eye to eye, let alone could work together.

"Mikasa you saved my life!" Sasha yelled running to her and latching on to her waist.

"Are you ok?"

"Because of you I am!"

"Then get up..."

Connie looked over to her embarrassed, "thanks, I owe you one."

"No worries..."

"Wow, by the skin of your teeth you're lucky you didn't make it worse off." Reiner stated as him and Berthold walked over to her.

She didn't give them a responce as she walked away to fill her tanks.

XXX

Soon they were all outside the HQ and most of the cadets were booking it to the wall. A small group stayed behind to marvel at the 'beserker Titan' being eaten alive.

"Mikasa? what are you doing we have to leave now!" Armin said landing next to her.

"Look down there..."

"Huh... cannibalism, can he not regenerate like the others?"

Mikasa spoke up again, "This might sound stupid but I was hoping he'd be the key for us. That he would help mankind break the cycle, to give us just a little hope.."

Since the first time Annie saw this Titan something felt off about it, not counting the fact that it only wanted to beat up and kill its own kind, it seemed she was not the only one who thought so...

"She's right," Reiner spoke up, " he's too valuable to just let die. There's too much we can learn from him, I think it should be perfectly clear our priorities should be to ward the Scavengers off him, he's no use to us picked apart."

"Are you out of you're mind!?" Jean asked, " we got a path out of this nightmare and you want to stay?"

Annie looked to Reiner, _'are you really thinking that Reiner? Sure he's an abnormal but that doesn't mean he's a shifter...ah damn it..._ Annie spoke up, " think about it, having an abnormal as an ally would be an incredible advantage right? A cannons got nothing on a Titan that likes to rip apart its own kind."

"Do you hear yourself, its not like he's a new friend!?" Protested Jean.

They heard footsteps to their right and saw a Titan walking towards the abnormal."

"Oh no, It's the one who ate Thomas!" Armin said terrified.

The beserker seemed to see the oposing Titan and fought the ones that were tearing him apart off. It fought through them and made its way to the Titan grabbing it by the nape of its neck with it's teeth and then fashioning the Titan as a club, sending a Titan into a nearby building. It finished the Titan off by biting Down On it's nape killing it. The Berserker let out one last Roar then fell to the ground.

"What was that you were saying cause it's a moot point now. Alright enough of this, let's leave while we can, we're lucky the ugly bastard didn't get bored or else we would have been next on the menu...huh?" Jean looked behind him to realize no one was following him. "Look a Titan is a Titian..."

They all looked on in disbelief, in the nape of the Berserker, it was what looked to be a person, the steam cleared more revealing it to be...

"Eren!" Mikasa yelled, launching herself down to ground level.

"No way..."

"Mikasa!" Armin yelled after her.

She sprinted towards him until she embraced him in her arms...

"What the hell is..." Before Jean could continue his questioning a Screech like Roar sounded from behind the cluster of buildings in front of them.

Out of nowhere a 'frog' like Titan jumped on top of the buildings roofs across from them. It's grin was menacing, It turned to look down at Mikasa and Eren.

"Oh no..." Armin wispered barely audible to the others.

It jumped to street level and slowly advanced on them like a hunter prowling to prey.

"W-We gotta save them!" Yelled Jean...

Before Jean or anyone else could take up arms, Annie yelled out, "Wait, look!"

The creature stoped in it's tracks, seemingly in pain. This confused Annie and the others, no one had jumped forth and sliced it's nape, no one had harmed it in any way, yet...

Then a blade stabbed through the belly where the stomach would be, it made a long horizontal cut across the Titan's stomach, so big that a red like liquid seemed to spill out onto the street below before evaporating. Soon a hand emerged, then an arm and soon a body came spilling out of it falling at least six meters to the ground below with a yell, the same liquid spilling on and around them.

The figure slowly stood to thier full height... letting out a grunt of pain while doing so.

 _'N-No it can't be... impossible_...'

"Chase!"


	10. No Fate-10, Trost, Belly of the beast

_'Remember what I told you, squeeze don't pull..." two people a man and his son layed prone in the forest trees. It was mid winter and a deep freeze had took hold of the land._

 _The boy was fiddling with the rifles sling in order to get a better shot. 'Take the shot when you're ready Chase..._ ' _nodding_ _Chase slowly exhaled a breath looked down the sights, seconds passsed the animal just stood there grazing on what the winter hadn't taken yet, oblivious of its pending demise. His finger depressed the trigger and then fired..._

The shot rang out and missed the animal completely causing it to Scurry off into the thick dead underbrush evading it's Hunters successfully.

 _The man sighed as he stood watching the deer run off. 'Well, there goes dinner_ _...and breakfeat...and lunch...' He continued as he stood to his feet._

 _Chase slumped against a tree, 'sorry dad I thought I had it that time...'_

 _Chase's father started packing their belongings, 'There always next time, but I might bring along another rifle just in case you miss again._ '

 _'Dad are you...disappointed in me?' Chase asked horrified at what the answer may be._

 _Chase's father chuckled, 'no, I'm not disappointed in ya, you just need more practice, mastering a rifle takes time.' He chuckled again, 'oh and don't get me started on reloading the son of a bitch._ '

 _Chase smiled and they started their way home. When they arrived to their house Chase's father kneeled to him, 'Listen to me son no matter how well or how bad you do at something I won't be disappointed, I love you, you're my boy._ _'_

 _'Chase, Honey, home already?!'_

 _-X-X-X-_

"...I love you to dad..." Chase opened his eyes smiling, his blissful memory abruptly ended when he realized he was laying in something...warm water, was he taking a bath? He flet around No, he still had his uniform and parts of his ODM on. Then it hit him, he had been swallowed... he sat up from the liquid, his breath hitched when he saw them. His comrades other soldiers, they were all floating around him, body parts, organs, gear that had been swallowed, all floating around like a sick twisted stew. He couldn't take it...

"Ahhhh! ahhhh! Nooo no..." he weighed through the liquid to a flashy wall, he clawed into it with his fingernails and beat at it. "Let me out! I want out! You son of a bitch, out, ahhhh!"

It was hot, deathly hot, he felt as if he was boiling. _'T-This is what hell is like isn't it?'_

He slumped against the warm flashy wall, his breath was uneven and frantic. "Oh my god, I'm going to die...no this can't be I never even got to give her..." He reached into his collar and pulled out two gold rings hanging from a silver chain.

 _'_ _These were mine and your mother's wedding rings...they're yours now. Heh find a pretty girl and give her one for me ok?'_ He wiped the tears from his eyes..."I-I..."

"Heeelp..." a weak voice sounded away from him. He couldn't see far because of the fog like steam and darkness that enveloped them.

Chase's eyes shot up at the voice, his eyes beating around nervously. "H-Hello?" He finally called out uneasy.

"Please..." it said again.

 _'Damn it... I'm not going to like this...' Chase stood and trudged through to the voice._ "Hold on I'm coming to ya!"

He stepped over countless bodies and pushed some out of the way. There must of been dozens from what he could see, not counting the ones who were left in parts. He reached the person that called out, that's when he found...her.

"E-Emily!?..." He kneeled, to her side. "Oh my god..." Chase gagged at the sight The left section of her torso had been bitten off leaving her her right leg that was barely attached.

"H-Holt?...please, I don't wanna die..."

Chase sat down next to her taking her in his arms, she was sinking into the liquid but he kept her above the surface. "God, I-I can't believe you're still alive, we saw the abnormal..."

Her shaky voice spoke, "the last thing I-I remember were those teeth..." She started whimpering.

He shook his head in sorrow, "I'm so sorry Emily, m-maybe there is something I could have done I... I don't know. Here just lean on me, I'll make sure you dont sink in this shit." He pulled her out of the liquid and held her up.

She let out a few painful gasps, "h-how bad is it?"

He couldn't lie to her, "bad, but it's ok, I-I'll uhh, get us out of here."

"How?"

"I'll cut our way out."

"Y-You have your ODM? Heh, I...don't even know where mine went..."

"No but I have this..." he pulled out his boot knife. "Blade is made out of the same shit our ODM blades are made of."

He carried her and placed her in a shallow spot near the wall of the Titan's stomach.

"Here goes," he stabbed the knife through the flesh and began cutting, "come on!" Through it penetrated he was having a hard time cutting through, the Titan's flesh healed as fast as he could cut. "Damn it! This isn't going to work I need an ODM blade..."

Emily let out a few coughs before pointing, "I-I think I saw an arm clutching a blade when you..." _cough, cough!_ "uhh carried me over here..."

He patted her on the shoulder, "Good looking out, I'll look for it, just rest..." She gave a weak nod before he weighed back into the stomach liquid.

He searched through the mess that was the Titan's stomach. He was on the verge of puking from what he saw. Bodies, parts of bodies, arms, legs, heads, parts of torsos and everything inside and out. That's when he realized something, the shit they were in wasn't acid, at least he didn't think so...

' _Titans lack in the means of a digestive system, so to clear their stomachs they regurgitate what's inside in the form of a sack like a mess of body parts and gore...' the instructor pushed his glasses to his face, 'I pray none of you would have to experience it...'_

"So this isn't acid?...heh I really don't want to know what it is, to be honest..." Something floated a few feet away from him, a hand with a death grip on an ODM blade handle.

 _'must be it.'_

He reached down and picked it up, literally having to pry the hand off, "Hey Emily, I got it..." he waited for a response, "E-Emily?"

A few moments of silence had passed before she spoke, "s-still here" _cough!.._.."barely."

He kneeled down to her, "Were getting out of this hell hole..."

She shook her head, "you maybe, but not me, I'm not gonna make it...I feel it." tears started welling up, "H-Holt I don't want to die..." _cough..._!

That time he felt something spray his cheek, he wiped it with his fingers finding it to be blood, her blood. ' _She had coughed up blood, not a good sign, her insides must be shot...'_ He thought as he moved down to cradle her.

"Is this, w-what hell is like?" She asked sobbing.

Chase gave a sad sigh and cradled her, "I-I'm so sorry..."

"A-At least I'm not dying alone...Tell me, w-what was in the house?"

"There was a mother and her two children, Ymir and Christa got them out."

She smiled sadly, "at least, I-I died for a reason..." Cough!

"D-Do you have any family, so I can pass on your last regards?"

She shook her head, "lost them all when Maria fell, brother, dad..." _cough,_ "m-mom." She started shaking as she sobbed, "Mommy, mom... ma, I-I wanna go home...please let me go home."

He couldn't hold back a sob at the scene before him, he held her tighter, "come on soldier, stay with me!..."

"Mama...mama...mama...ma...mom, why did this happen... Mommy? Uhhh." She let out a final raspy breath then her body went limp her head falling on Chase's shoulder.

Tears ran down his eyes like a waterfall, "Ah...ahhh, ahhhh!" Chase yelled, "Y-You sons of bitches, she didn't deserve that! They didn't deserve that, none of us do! I'm gonna kill you!"

He looked back down at Emily, her lifeless eyes boring into him, standing he laid her body gently in the liquid, she slowly sunk beneath the surface. Those same emerald eyes staring into him as she disappeared beneath.

Chase gripped the handle tightly, determination in his eyes. "I'm getting out of here...huh?"

All the while when they were in the Titan, they felt it jump, walk and move around, the sounds echoing throughout the cavernous stomach this time a screech like sound and imitated from above. Then it seemed to jump once more knocking Chase off balance sending him into the liquid.

He rose to the surface coughing and gagging, "ah fuck!, I-I need to get out" He stood and unclasped the remanence of is ODM gear, letting it fall into the putrid liquid below. He steped up and stabbed the blade all the way through the stomach, then began cutting, he sawed back and forth past the fat and flesh. That's when he saw the light. He crawed through the slit and pushed himself further, squeezing his way through till he saw the outside again.

Still not big enough to fit through, Chase started making the cut wider, sawing relentlessly as he did so. The flesh was regenerating behind him, if he didnt hurry he would be inclosed in the Titans flesh...

 _'come on you son of a bitch! ugh!'_ The Titan steam was scolding hot as it closed behind him. Soon something seemed to give and he squeezed out.

"Ahh!" he fell out, down to the street below landing on his back while the Titan's stomach liquid spiled on and around him. "Uh," Chase stood to his feet and looked up, the Titan gave him a toothy grin while holding its torn stomach as it healed, drips of its stomach liquid seeping out.

"You motherfucker! Ugh!" He stabbed the now dull ODM blade into it's foot and backed away.

It started reaching for him the hand coming ever closer for a second go around, but he felt this time the Titan would be more inclined to chew him up rather that sowallowing him whole again.

"Come on, do it you son of bitch, ahhhhh!" Chase yelled, insanity in his eyes. But before it could reach him a fash of brown flew by and cut the Titan's nape, It fell landing just feet in front of him.

"Ha, haha..." Chase gave a manic cackle before he collapsed to his knees.

"Chase!" Annie swooped in and grabbed him by the torso sending them both flying till they landed on a nearby rooftop. She let go of him causing him to lay back. Annie asked worriedly, "C-Chase are you ok?"

 _'Heh, that's the first time she sounded anything other than board.'_ He thought...

He stayed silent for a couple seconds before cackling again, "ha, haha, ha, no, no I don't think I am..." he looked across from them and found Mikasa and...Eren?

"H-Hey I thought he was dead?"

"We thought you were dead too! What the hell is going on, how many more people are going to come back from the dead today?" Asked Jean frightened and confused.

"haha-" Chase went wide eyed, he turned, "Annie!"

She recoiled in surprise, "C-Chase?"

He grabbed her by the shoulders."Tell me this isn't a dream!? Tell me I'm not still in there! Oh god!"

"I-Its ok Chass you're fine, It will be ok..."

Chase smiled, "Oh great, cause it was hell in there you know...I mean hell, haha, haha..."

The others were silent with shock, this wasn't the Holt they knew.

"I-I uh, I think Holt has lost it..." Bertholdt said rubbing the back of his neck nervously.

Annie threw him a cold glare then was interrupted when Chase started crawling over to Eren and Mikasa.

"Ha haha, Eren my comrade! we thought you were dead!"

Mikasa's eyebrow rose and she clutched Eren tighter at Chase's odd behavior.

"C-Chase please, you need to calm down.." Armin said holding his arms out in a claming gesture.

"Man what a day huh guys? Hahaha, hahaha..."

Chase was cut off from his cackleing by slap to the face, administered by none other than Annie. "Chase snap out of it!" She said with pleading eyes.

"Ow what the fuck?..." He stared at her for a couple of seconds, holding the reddening print of her hand... "Oh, I-I'm sorry I..."

He was inturpted by her crashing into him. "There you are..."

"Uhh Annie?..." Chase asked looking around nervously.

She didn't care who saw them, Reiner, Bertholdt, the whole damn 104th. They all could kiss her ass.

He slowly relaxed and gave in, It was a kind of relief he could show it out in the open now.

"Uh guys am I missing something here?" Jean asked confused.

Chase shook his head from the moment and pulled away from her. "Wait Eren is a Titan, l-like how is that even posible?"

A silence fell between them before Reiner spoke up, "I don't know but I think we should get over the wall this area isn't safe."

Jean nodded, "I agree, the faster we get out of here the faster we an put all this shit behind us." He and Annie hoisted him on their shoulders while Mikasa and Armin did the same with Eren.

Chase looked back at the slowly evaporating carnage, "Eren did all this?...Damn."

-X-X-X-

The worn and battered cadets gathered up around a makshift camp constructed by the Garrison medical Corps to treat what wounded made it back from Trost. The pained moans of the wounded could be heard aswell as shouts of officers giving commands to other squads. "I want all cadets on standby, be prepared for a Counterattack!..."

"Annie cut it out, I told you I-l am fine... really."

She shook her head, "idiot, a fall like that might have caused some real damage." They sat at a bench while Annie fussed over his wounds.

"We got lucky thats it...If we hadn't found that gas in time we'd still be stuck in Trost... Connie said solemnly.

"Thats terrible, we volunteered to run gas out to you guys, but by then the situation just got so bad, I'm just glad most of our squad made it out in one piece..."

"We even found some extra guess we could push out to you guys guys but then everything went to hell, say speakng of hell..." Ymir looked over to Chase. "Holt what was it like? Being inside a Titan's stomach..."

Chase shuttered at the thought, still remembering Emily's eyes as they disappeared beneath the putrid stomach liquid... He shook his head, "tch, I really don't want to talk about it..."

"I still can't believe you survived being eaten, I mean when they told me you were dead I thought that was it..." Connie said as most of the group stared into nothingness, contemplating what they just survived through.

"There's one thing I don't get though, seems the whole Corps knows about you're a little stunt but doesn't know what happened to the others like Mikasa or Eren... they survived the assault on HQ or so I've heard, so... where are they?" Ymir asked looking over to the table Chase, Annie, Jean and the others were sitting at.

"Its perfect really, they spread my story out to distract what...uh n-never mind..." Chase stammered catching himself.

The others looked confused, "what?" Ymir asked when Chase didn't budge she looked to Jean, "hey Jean what in the world is he talking about?"

"Yeah tell us..." Connie insisted

He took a swig from his canteen. "Would if I could but they slapped us with a gag order..."

"You're joking right?"

"Thats crazy..."

"Heh they're crazy if they think people aren't going to talk. Word will get out and when it does...well that is if we survive."

Chase stared down in thought, _'Heh Eren a Titan huh... maybe I'm dreaming maybe I'm still in that Titan's stomach...maybe I'm dead, oh god...'_ He smiled and started quietly chuckling again to witch he was only stopped when Annie cupped her hand over his.

He looked away embarrassed as a wagon of wounded passed by them, their moaning and pained sounds being heard all the while. _'D-Did it make me crazy... am I slowly descending into madness, I-I mean they did say I was the only man in recorded history to survive being swallowed...'_

She leaned closer to his ear. "Its ok, if you need anything...Im here."

Chase nodded in thanks as his gaze drifted over to where Daz and Marco's loud conversation. "We're supposed to fight those Titans until they eat every last one of us, I-I don't want to be eaten, screw that!" Daz pulled out a ODM blade and made to harm himself untill Marco stopped him.

"Hey keep it together okay, you're not the only one who's scared." He motioned over to a stoned faced Sasha, "Look at Sasha even after everything shes seen still remains a proper Soldier!..."

After a few seconds she let out a obviously fake pained cry, "ah, my stomach hurts please cart me away with the wounded..."

Daz pulled out his blades and made to run himself through but was held back again by Marco. "Let me die, I just wanna die!"

"Stop damn it!" He shouted out in frustration.

Chase looked away and sighed, "Idiots... heh, now I know why they issued the gag order." Chase made to open a ration bar but was interrupted by a loud explosion and a flash of light.

Chase stood to his feet, "what the...

Reiner stood to his feet. "Cannon fire!"

There were various gasps of surprise as other soldiers turned to the explosion.

"W-Why just one shot?" Jean asked to no one in particular.

"Look smoke!" One Soldier shouted.

"Maybe its a misfire?" Chase said unsure.

"Oh no, I-Is that Titan smoke?" Asked Jean shock and worry etched all over his face.

Reiner suddenly engaged his ODM and went flying.

"Hey!" Jean called out as Annie and Berthold and Holt followed soon after.

"Come on!" Holt waved him on and Jean soon followed suit.

They ziped and flew over the bulidings till they bolted over the wall and onto the other side.

Chase joined the others on a rooftop and what they saw shocked them.

"T-Thats Eren huh..." Chase stated slacked jawed.

The soliders down below had similar looks on their faces.

The grounds below were enveloped in steam, making it imposible to see through.

Chase turned to see Annie, Reiner and bertholdt, but raised an eyebrow at their expressions. ' _Strange It looks as if they found something.'_ They had a steely resolve behind their shocked expressions, like they were not surprised as to what was down there but as to 'what' was down there.

Reiner gripped is ODM blades with a death grip, "What the hell is that?..."


	11. No Fate- 11, Beginning of the end

Chase and other Soldiers from the 104th and otherwise stood at rest in a loose formation. He was still tossing what he just witnessed for the second time in his brain.

"Kill me, just do it!" Daz screamed panic etched over his face.

Other soldiers started to get restless and some started to get unnerved as well.

Ignoring them Chase began to dwell on the situation. ' _Eren a Titan, since when did people turn into Titans anyway? I mean it's not like we one hundred percent know where they come from...so is every Titan just a person wanting to eat people for shits and grins or what... the world was fucked before but..'_

 _"Attention!"_

Chase along with a few others instinctively snapped to attention, and looked upwards to the commander of the Garrison regiment, while others just looked up from their panicked state.

"Take note the blueprint of the Trost recovery operation is this..." The commander of the Garrison regiment explained the excentric strategy to seal up the outer gate. With that came skepticism, people all around started to contest the whole thing.

"He's lying that's impossible, you people throw us around like toy Soldiers, expect us to die for you on a whim!" Daz yelled out in panicked protest.

Chase raised an eyebrow, ' _tell me again how someone like him passed basic?'_

The wuss continued, "Screw this I'm not dying for this crap!"

Others began voicing their own concerns...

"This is crazy the brass has lost it..

"No way fuck this.."

"This is bullshit I'm out of here..."

Chase looked around left, right, _'If I were to leave where would I go, what about Annie, Jean the 104th?'_ Letting out a sigh he stuck to his spot. _'This is the only family I have left, a fucked up ass-backward family but one none the less. If I die here at least I know wall rose will be next...'_

Other Soldiers not feeling similar began to trickle away one by one, some officers with enough sense left tried to take hold of the situation.

Captain Wormen pulled out his pairing blades, "cowards, traitors the lot of you! Fall back in line or so help me I'll execute you where you stand!"

Pixis yelled once more, "Anyone wishing to leave will by my personal orders not be charged with treason, those who have experienced the Titans first hand will not be expected to relive the horrors again. Furthermore, those with family and loved ones who would spare them from this trauma can also leave, your service to the crown will still be recognized. Thank you and good luck..."

All at once the retreating personal turned on their heels and reluctantly made their way back to the formation.

 _'huh, they must have realized if we don't stop them here we don't stop them anywhere...'_

Once the soldiers fell back in line and accepted the unfortunate task delegated to them Pixis spoke once again.

"Now think back four years ago, namely the operation to retake wall, Maria. I bring it up because you deserve to have your suspicions confirmed. Officially we labeled it as reconnaissance but as most of you probably know it was merely a purge, a horrific exercise in population control..."

"Ugh..." Chase balled his fists, as tears threatened to run down his face. _'I fucking knew it, here they are bringing it out into the open... took them four fucking years, all this time wondering, morning...'_

"We knew this in our hearts, of course, we did. We accepted the sacrifice of our fellow human beings because it meant that we would survive. The crushing guilt is ours, we share it all in the same..."

 _Chase shook the last memories he had with his father else he would have broken down then and there._

 _"The citizenry of wall Maria sustained themselves on the wholesale Slaughter of refugees coming to us for help._ Hear this if wall Maria succumbs the population will fall by a whole new order of magnitude. Where things stand the lands in-wall Rose will not be able to sustain half the people now living, if humanity is wiped from the face of the Earth know that the corporates will not be the Titans let me assure you, we will have done it to ourselves. Let the line be drawn here or nowhere!

Most soldiers stood stone-faced, understanding the magnitude of the situation.

"Not once in human history have we won against the Titans, we have lost innumerable numbers in this war of attrition. Miles of territory left to abandon, however, should we claim victory we will make history! Go forth and bring back the hope of humanity!"

Officers started shouting orders all around, "Move it form up and wait to be assigned to a squad!"

XXX

"Ugh!" Chase whipped around after he took down a 10 meter, it's frowning face disappearing into the dust, dirt and it's brethren below.

He attached himself back to the wall and continued hanging there along with dozens upon dozens of other Soldiers and Cadets.

A Garrison officer yelled down to him, "cadet your orders we're to hold position and only engage if absolutely necessary. This is hardly a time to show off!"

Chase huffed as he clutched the handles of his ODM, "all due respect sir, that ugly bastard was gnawing at my boots, almost took my foot off!"

"look we're all taking a big risk hanging like this, we're sitting ducks. Just hold till further notice that's an order, that goes for all of you!"

Chase looked back down shaking his head, _'this is insanity_ _, look at all of them...one slip up, one mistake or equipment malfunction and I'm gone..._ T _hat being said, being assigned to the decoy crew is not the worst assignment in this operation, I could be on the ground like Jean, Connie and the others are going to be..._ _I just hope commander Pixis knows what he is doing...'_

He was cut from his musings by a bolt of lightning and a loud, **'BOOM!'**

The area was enveloped in a yellow-green tinge. It was the same thing they experienced when that cannon shot rang out.

 _'Eren you better not let us down man...'_

Before he could gather his thoughts on the matter, another Titan, one in the 15-meter range at least, rammed into the wall sending three surprised and unsuspecting soldiers to the hands and maws of the Titans beneath.

"Damn!" Chase displaced before the same Titan crashed into the section of wall he and his squad were occupying. He shot his hooks as the Titan swiped at them. "huh...ah!"

Only one hook hit its mark while its brother bounced off the stone surface sending Chase crashing into the wall upside down.

"Ugh...ugh..." he fought to get upright as his blades hung swinging and clanging below his head.

The monster spotted him and began jumping each time biting at Chase's scalp.

 _'_ _This fucker is definitely an abnormal.._. _The bastard has a big enough forehead to jump on and God willing my gear will work right this time...' "_ oh God, this is stupid...shit!"

The dirty blonde cadet put his split-second plan into action. Releasing his hook, he fell down and landed on the monster's forehead, Chase struggled to keep balance before launching himself into the buildings below watchful of the other Titans near him. He crash-landed onto a roof tearing up shingles on his way.

Slowly rising to his knees he let out a few pained moans and curses, "T-That actually worked... I'll be damned..." The smirk he was wearing quickly faded as he saw the red smoke signal in the distance.

He sighed, "like I said, 'damned...' What the hell is going on over there?"

Standing to his feet Chase surveyed the area, his comrades were still hanging from the wall and some Titans were lumbering towards him, thankfully they were just in the 5-7 meter range. Speaking of Titans the abnormal that knocked him off was still ramming the wall as if the aberration thought it alone could punch through the surface. Many cadets and soldiers struggled to keep balance as the wall shook with each blow, if something wasn't down more would fall.

He looked over to a near collapsed tower, it leaned over the war-torn street below. An Idea formed in his head. Chase looked toward the sky, "God since when did I become a hero?" He sighed before grabbing his handles, "I'd better get a metal for this..."

He launched himself to a rooftop near the 15 meters and launched a hook to the back of his neck.

"Hey you ugly motherfucker, you want a meal? Come earn it!"

The Titan scowled as if it could understand him, for all Chase knew he could. A large hand swiped at him before he zipped off toward the falling tower.

"Fuck what am I thinking? Bad idea, bad idea!" He landed underneath a sturdy part of the building he knew wasn't going to give yet and waited for the Titan to come close.

It's now scowling face looked down at the bug if a man before it as if it would decide his fate. It lunged grabbing at the cadet, "missed me fucker!"

Chase zipped out of the way, as the force of the blow caused the tower to finally give way, sending it crashing down on top of it and a portion of its nape.

Breathing heavily he watched the last of the debris fall over the heap that was the 15 meter. "See that? cause I will not be doing it again..." He said to no one particular.

' _time to get back to the wall.'_

XXX

There was no way he was going back the way he came the area was too saturated. That took him inward to where the ground teams we're.

He ran across the rooftops and stopped when he saw a squad getting torn apart.

"Help me...help...noo" a girl screamed before a ' **CRUNCH!'** ended her life. Chase winced, they were gone, body parts and blood caked the street.

That's when he saw...Jean what the hell. He was leaned over a corpse trying to yank some ODM gear. Meanwhile, a titan was coming ever closer. Before he could do anything Marco zipped past it drawing its attention...

"Marco, what the hell are you doing!?" Jean yelled surprised.

Marco didn't respond as he led the Titan off.

Chase landed on a roof next to horse faced cadet, "Jean get that gear on man we gotta go!"

Jean looked up surprised, "Chase, what..."

"No time get it on!"

Taking heed Jean finally ripped off the gear and strapped it on.

Chase took off toward the wall, but when he looked back Jean went crashing to the ground with another Titan baring down on him.

"Damn..." Turning Chase made his way toward him, only to see Connie slam into the side of the thing's head.

Chase cringed, _'That had to hurt, damn idiot'_

Jeans shocked look turned to annoyance, "are you insane!"

Connie rubbed his smarting head, "what are you waiting for get out of there!"

The titan snatched at Connie destroying the side of a house. Chase using the distraction, sliced both its eyes while it lunged at Jean, "ugh!!"

Jean took off only to find and find another bastard eyeing him for a snack, but Annie launched into it sending it crashing into the ground.

In the clear, they beelined it for the top of the wall. One by one they touched down Jean landing a little harder than the rest.

They took a moment to compose themselves before Jean spoke. "Do you guys have a death wish or what?"

"Hey don't start man..." Marco snapped annoyed.

"Yeah, you scared the hell out of me!" Connie bit back.

"Figures your equipment would malfunction, in case you haven't noticed we haven't had the best of luck lately," Chase said swapping his blades.

"What are you going here?" Connie asked

Jean made a few adjustments to his gear. "Yeah, I thought you were supposed to be posted up on the wall?"

Annie narrowed her eyes at him as if in question as well.

"Long story short an abnormal crashed into the wall sending me and a few others flying." He looked over to Annie, "the only reason I made it was because the prick had an abnormally large forehead even for a damn Titan..."

Annie stayed silent as she looked over and was caught by surprise, "Well I'll be damned..."

They looked and saw Eren's Titan carrying the boulder, from the looks of it it's was damn near close to crushing him.

Jean went wide-eyed, "that psycho is actually doing it, and here I thought we were gonna die today..."

"Never say never..." Chase responded, "It looks like we we're back on..."

Jean nodded a new determination in his eyes. "Right, let's see this through!"

With that, the five launched themselves back into the fray of Trost.

After louring some Titans away and keeping them off Eren they all watched as he plugged the wall.

Jean went limp letting his blades hand loosely from his sides, "we did it we actually did it."

Chase took a moment to rub a hand down his exhausted face. "Yeah crazy, but we did..."

XXX

Annie...Annie please!" Marco's pleas sounded for blocks it was a miracle no one heard them.

Annie stood there shocked, "y-you idiots opened your mouths...now look what you're done asshole.."

"Take off his ODM...now!"

"Annie do it fast, a Titan is coming!" Bertholdt said panicked.

She looked past Marco to see Reiner's glare.

"Take it off we don't have much time!"

"W-Why do I have to?" She pleaded

His glare intensified, "back there you saved Connie, and you're getting pretty close with Holt, don't tell me you've come too attached to this evil race have you!?"

"I-Its just a cover I told you!" she yelled.

"It's almost on top of us!" Bertholdt screamed.

"Annie, if you ever want to see your father again, prove to me that you don't care about this filthy race, do it now!"

 _'Annie my daughter, please promise me you'll come home. I will always be on your side_ , even if the whole world is against you!"

 _Chase chuckled, 'so what you're not a normal girl, what exactly am I dealing with here Annie...'_

She shook her head out of the memories and quickly kneeled down to take off Marco's gear.

"Nooo, Annie why do this? Please!"

Annie struggled with the clasps and belts, biting back her nerves.

Marco leaned down closer to her, shock in his eyes. "Annie please I'm begging you!"

She stopped, tears welling in her eyes, that's when she saw Reiner's cold glare one again.

"This is what makes us warriors, Annie you did well..."

Numbly she yanked the last of his gear off and threw it down into the street, sending it through a window. The three titan shifters zipped away to a safe distance.

"Hey why are you guys in such a hurry for! We haven't even talked this out yet! Noooo!"

Annie watched in horror as Marco was devoured. She closed her eyes, she couldn't look at it anymore. His cries seemed to spread wide and far.

 _'God...'_

"H-Hey why is Marco being eaten?"

They looked over and Reiner had a look of genuine shock on his face.

Annie scowled in anger and anguish, _'What the hell, this is a nightmare...'_

Bertholdt looked on in guilt, "Annie I suggest you pick a side..."

"I have Bertholdt..." she snapped tears still blurring her eyes.

"The same will happen to Holt if you don't distance yourself, nothing good can come of 'making friends with these people..."

Annie stayed silent tilting her head down in remorse.

Bertholdt sighed before turning to Reiner, "come on man, let's go..."

"H-How could this happen?" Reiner sobbed.

With that, the two male titan shifters made their way back.

Annie rubbed at her red puffy eyes trying and failing to make them return to normal.

"I-I am a warrior... I am a warrior, I am a... monster.."

XXX

Chase sat against a wall of the Garrison medical corp's aid station, his ODM sat by his side. Cadets all sound rested or the few who could slept despite the cries and moans of wounded.

'BOOM, ' and of course the endless cannon fire. He clutched the bowl of soup in his hands, taking sips from the wooden spoon. He looked down at the mix of both and tomatoes... with a snarl of disgust he threw the meager meal out in the street.

Now all he could think of was the insides of that damn Titan... all those people...Emily.

"ahhhh, agh!"

'BOOM!"

"God make it stop!"

'BOOM'

"mommy!..."

'BOOM'

Chase clamped his hands over his ears in a vain attempt to block out the earlier ignored cacophony.

 _"That won't help you..."_

Chase looked up suddenly over to a dark alley, he squinted and made out what seemed to be a dark figure. He rubbed his eyes before looking back, it was gone.

 _'God I gotta get some rest...I'm seeing shit.'_

A voice sounded from the courtyard, "Cadets form up for a debriefing, move it!" A garrison officer yelled out.

With a grunt, he stood to his feet and fell in a formation with other exhausted and worn cadets.

"Ok people the operation to retake Trost was a success, good job all of you. We overcame a feat that was thought impossible a mere 24 hours ago. With the combined effort of the Survey Corps and garrison regiment, we are almost titan free. By this time tomorrow, it will be safe enough to begin the recovery of the dead and the clean up of Trost.

Chase closed his eyes, the very last thing he wanted to do was go back over the wall to that he'll. _'Jesus, can't they find someone else to do it?''_

 _"_ The Garrison medical corps will supervise the disposal and clean up of the dead. This will begin at 0900 tomorrow, rest up, there are hot showers, comfy beds, and bearable food. Get some cadets you've earned it... dismissed."

Chase picked up his ODM and checked It in the armory. The atmosphere all around was one of hope and underlying dread.

He continued walking through the camp until he came upon Annie, she sat alone, as usual, her head down in his arms. Without a word, he slid down the wall she was sitting against. She looked up at him, she had her usual emotionless facade but her eyes seemed different like she had been crying.

"Hey." She said her voice horse and scratchy.

"Hey." He responded running a hand though his dirty hair. "Someday huh? We lost a lot of people..."

She shrugged acting indifferent to the matter.

"Hey drop the act we're alone, I can see you've been crying."

She tucked her head further into her arms, "It's just the smoke."

He let a snort out his nose, "smoke, the only smoke I see is the stuff you're blowing up my ass. You can tell me, what's wrong?'

Annie frowned, "drop it..."

Shaking his head Chase leaned his head on the wall and closed his eyes. "Annie, when I was swallowed I saw hell itself in there...this girl...Emily she was clinging to life, floating in that, putrid shit. I didn't think I was gonna make it...I-I've wanted to do this since we met in training."

He reached down in his white button-down and pulled out a necklace with two gold rings on it. "Here, " he pulled one-off and held it out to her.

Annie sat there froze..."Chase...I..."

He cut her off, "Relax this ain't a proposal." He chuckled, "this is just something I want you to have, wear it or don't. I made a promise id gave one of these to a pretty girl... will you take it?"

Annie gawked at the object in his hand before she knew what she was doing she took it.

"I might not get a chance next time..." Grunting Chase stood. "Well the garrison has hot showers and a bunk to crash on and I'd be a fool to pass that up."

Annie looked up at him, "thank you, it's beautiful, no one has never really got me. anything before."

He kneeled down and kissed her head before caressing her cheek, "It's not much, get some rest Annie, we've all been through a lot today." With that he walked off leaving her alone.

Annie looked down to the fine piece of jewelry then pulled out her own ring, flipping the retractable blade a few times. The two objects laid in her palm seemingly taunting her. One an angel the other a devil.

 _'_ _You are a warrior, complete_ your mission!'

Closing her hand around the objects, she stood making her way toward the female barracks.

 _'A hot shower doesn't sound so bad to be honest.'_


	12. No Fate-12, Choice

"Hey Holt, y-you need to see this..." A voice yelled over to him.

Chase tossed another corpse atop a wagon, he wrinkled his nose at the stench. The white handkerchiefs they fashioned into masks, barely bit back the stink of dead and rotting. Ash was falling from the fires that consumed the District just two days ago. It kinda remained him of snow.

He walked over to Jean who stood stock still, seemingly in shock.

"What's up Jean?..." Chase asked pressing the cloth closer to his nose. Chase looked over when Jean didn't respond, his breath hitched when he saw the body. "Marco...no," he said sadly.

"S-Somebody must know how he went out..I-I..." He was cut short when a nurse walked up to them.

"If you have a name for this one, it would be beneficial to pass it along."

Jean just kept rambling, "Marco w-what happened..."

Chase kept his eyes fixed to the ground, half of the aspiring MP's face was gone along with some of his torso and arm.

"Cadets I need a name we don't have time for this."

Chase and Jean looked up at her and both gave a cold glare. "Lady this was our friend can't we take a moment to mourn?" Chase asked his usual monotone present.

She looked to him, "please son, you understand? It's been two days since we sealed up the hole in Wall Rose, that's too long. We're nowhere near accounted for all the dead. Unless these poor souls are dealt with soon we'll have an epidemic on our hands. We're the first line of defense against a secondary disaster, we will grieve the fallen once we've done our jobs, is that understood?"

Jean took a shaky breath, "He was a member of the 104th cadet corps, Captain of squad 19, Marco Bott..."

The woman inscribed Marco's name in the book she carried. "Bott, duly noted cadet, thank you; carry on." With that, the nurse walked away.

Chase turned from Marco's body and walked back to the wagon of corpses, he pulled out a white sheet from the compartment on the side and walked back to the grief-stricken Jean.

"I-I wondered where he was after you guys saved me and we went in to protect Eren..." Jean trailed off still in a state of shock.

Chase shook his head sadly, before kneeling down and closing Marco's remaining eye. Shaking the sheet out he draped it over the corpse of their friend. He placed a hand on Marco's shoulder, "I'm sorry man, so sorry..."

Standing Chase grabbed hold of Marco's booted feet. "Jean grab his torso..."

"I-I don't get it he was..." Jean kept mumbling.

"Jean!" Chase shouted

"Huh!?" Jean said surprised

"Come on man, we gotta get him in a wagon... put him to rest."

Shaking out of his thoughts Jean nodded, "right..." He knelt down and grabbed Marco's torso or what was left of it and they hauled him to a nearby wagon before tossing him on.

They stood back wiping their soiled hands on their uniform pants, "Marco... goodbye." Jean mumbled as the wagon pulled away soon turning the corner to dispose of the bodies.

Chase sighed before walking back to help load more bodies.

He walked passed an alleyway when he sensed something, he peeked back into the alley and saw a Titan's stomach sack.

"Christ..." He covered his face with his elbow trying not to vomit, walking further in, he stopped in front of the horrid thing filled with flesh and bone.

 _"This is where you belong, it's only fair..."_

Chase squinted he though the saw something moving in there. He drew closer and out of nowhere a skeletonized arm broke through the flesh sack's membrane and grabbed hold of his arm.

"Ahhh, ahhh let go!"

 _"You belong with us...you should be in here too..."_

"No, nooo!!" Chase pulled back only to fall backward on his ass. He looked up in heavy ragged breathes.

The meat sack was still intact, no hole, no arm...just the mess of body parts compiled in the thing.

"W-What the hell?"

" _Hell is not the half of it..."_

He looked behind him to... "Emily?"

The manifestation tilted her head slightly, _"Yes...It sure seems that way..."_

"H-How is this possible..." The dirty blonde asked dumbfounded.

Her eyes were sunken into the point where he was just looking into black pits.

" _Tell me do your sins weigh you down, does your guilt?"_

Chase continued to back up from the alleyway till his back hit a wall, "W-What are you talking about?"

 _"It should have been you, I died on your orders..."_ The Phantom edged ever close to him till she leaned down and whispered in his ear. _"I will always be with you, when you sleep, when you eat, alone or not, I will be watching waiting...And, when your time comes. I'll drag you to hell..."_

He stood up abruptly and ran out of the alleyway, Chase booked it before running into someone...

He looked up to see Christa and Ymir, "Holt? What's wrong are you ok?" Christa asked trying to help Ymir to her feet.

"Yeah, idiot what the hell is wrong with you?" Ymir asked annoyed from being ran into.

Chase rose to his knee trying to slow his heartbeat and breath. "I-I thought I saw something...I-its just one of those thing's stomach sacks."

Christa offered her hand to him which he took.

"Those things are pretty nasty, which is why I'm staying as far away from them as I can, when they start cleaning them up it's going to be messy," Ymir said looking over to him, she raised her eyebrow in question. "You look quite pale"

Christa frowned, "Holt are you sure you're alright?"

Wiping a hand down his face he brushed them off, "fine...I gotta, gotta get back to it."

The two girls watched as Chase walked away, holding a hand to his head as if in deep thought.

XXX

"Sorry, I'm sorry...I..." Annie said before being interrupted by Reiner.

"Contrition does them no good, what they need is a proper burial."

Annie continued to stand there after he walked past. _'We are the reason they are dead...why so many have died. Because of us...because of me.'_

"Cadet..." a voice sounded behind her, she turned slowly wide-eyed, "y-yes sir?"

"Come with me please, we gotta dispose of some bodies." Annie followed the Garrison Sergeant to a square pyre full of bodies. "Give me a hand with the last of these..."

Annie helped the Sergeant pile a few more on top before he handed her a book of matches.

The Sergeant soaked the pile in a flammable liquid, shaking the can a few times before he tossed it, and gave her a nod. Steadying her hands she pulled a match, sparked it and set the pile alight. The heat washed over her like a manifestation of all her sins. The fire spread turning flesh a charcoal black and sending a horrific smell into the air.

Later she sat in the mess hall alone, Chase was nowhere to be found. Most likely he was still on clean up duty, her shift did begin an hour earlier than his. She stirred her bowl of what had to be soup, the thing about being alone like this it gave her time to think.

 _'Those Titans the scouts captured could prove problematic, they can't be allowed to find any more weaknesses. That would give them an edge...'_

Then again why should she care?

Reiner walked past eyeing her, before sitting down with Connie, Bertholdt and Sasha and a few others. He gave her a hard stare as he took a sip of his soup.

" _Annie, If you ever want to see your father again, prove to me at you don't care about this filthy race!"_

She sighed before standing, _'I got some work to do.'_

After sneaking into the armory lock-up she attained her ODM, a rain cloak and a pair of blades. She looked over the area the two Titans were held in, guards were surprisingly light only one Garrison soldier posed at the entrance.

' _Guess they don't expect someone to assassinate a Titan let alone two.'_

She swooped down blades in hand, the Garrison guard leaned on the wall, a rifle cradled in his arms, his eyes were drooping and half-lidded.

The two tents would make excellent cover for dispatching the beasts. She assumed they were nailed and chained to the floor, she snarled and in a quick motion, the titan shifter sliced its nape. It let out a low groan as it fell dead, the tent grew hotter by the second as steam enveloped the area. Quickly she pushed the flap aside and ran to the other tent.

In the second tent, she found a blonde dazed-looking titan, it seemed immobile, It sat barely gave Annie a second glance. She paced around to the back of the aberration and sliced, this time it gave no noise as it slumped forward.

She ran out of the tent launching forward to the nearby buildings, running on the rooftops her destination a familiar place.

About six blocks away from the now blocked entrance of Trost she came upon the place Marco died. She stood where he was killed, old bloodstains still staining the buliding and street. Tears welled up in her eyes.

' _Annie...Annie, why? Why do this!?'_

"I-I'm sorry Marco...I-I didn't want to...I didn't..." She sighed sadly and turned to the door of the buliding she threw his ODM gear into, with any luck it would still be there.

She crept into the dark home, it's occupants long gone. Their plates and belongings still in the same place as they left them. She made her way upstairs and that's when she found it.

His tossed ODM, she picked it up off the floor and examined it. It seemed to be in working order. She clipped it to her side and walked out. Giving Marco's death place one last look.

The night was silent, only the stray dogs dared to pollute the noise-less air where so many had died. Shaking her head she zipped off to the outer wall of Trost to ditch her gear.

XXX

The mop-up of Troat continued, each day a gut-wrenching, horrid affair. In that time Eren was made a strategic military asset, the clean up of Trost was finished and the two Titans the survey corps captured were killed.

You could imagine the surprise when the MPs made the whole 104th presented their ODM for inspection. The sentiment that the unsanctioned Titan killer was among the cadets.

Chase stood there at rest his clean and maintained ODM sat neatly on the table in front of him other cadets around him mirrored him.

"What, so we can actually get in trouble for killing Titans now? This is bullshit."

"Yeah but you have to admit they were available military test subjects..." The two cadets behind him conversed in whispers as the MPs went down the line one by one.

Their annoyance was known and many were angry about doing this on their only. day off since Trost became a warzone.

They moved on to Christa, "I was with squad 36, Christa Lens sir."

The MP looked down to the clipboard, "OK let's have a look."

He stood next to Annie at the end of their line. Armin and Connie started talking.

"Guess someone hated looking at those Titans more than I did," Connie said starting at a point somewhere in front of him.

"The sad part is they probably helped the Titans more than anything, all that information lost and what for someone's personal revenge?"

"Well it might sound dumb but I'm glad they did it. Before I even saw a Titan I was convinced I wanted to become a scout and take em all on. But now...I never wanna see one again." He looked over to Jean and continued, "Today we gotta pick what regiment we're going to join.."

Chase felt the hairs stand on the back of his neck and he felt a presence in the corner of the room _._

 _'Look at you the proper soldier..'_

Chase turned to see Emily, she stood against the far wall, blood still caked her uniform. Her eyes, still dark and sunken in. He quickly turned back and stared at a comrade's ODM, trying to focus on anything but...her.

'I'm turning crazy, seeing shit, why, why?' With him realizing Chase began to chuckle much like he did when he exited the Titan.

"Hahaha...haha..." His crazed eyes narrowed when Annie turned to him a surprising puzzled look on her face. Clearing his throat he turned back to face the front of the room.

 _'_ _She thinks you've lost it, she'll leave why would she stay with you? After all, there are so multiple different people she can be with other than a crazy lunatic that sees ghosts...'_

He felt her wrap her arms around him, they were pale and white as paper, "God...please stop..." He begged his voice barely above a whisper.

 _'Never...'_

"Holt?"

'God why me, why...'

Annie put a hand on his shoulder and all at once the bastard Phantom and his feelings of tension evaporated. He looked over to her surprise in his expression.

He blinked a few times before reverting to his usual neutral attitude.

"Holt, did you hear me?" Connie asked

Holt shook his head, "No sorry, was in my own world there for a sec, what's up?"

"I asked what regiment you're joining today?"

Chase turned back forward before answering, "the MPs obviously, why the hell would I join anyone else?"

"Wait you were in the eleventh place how did you manage that?" Armin inquired.

"The night before Trost, I paid my noble Guardian a visit."

"What you're from nobility?" Armin asked surprised, "I never would have guessed.."

Chase chuckled, "No, as you might recall I'm from Wall Maria like you, it just so happened that my dad worked for a Nobile named Ford." The word was like venom on his tongue. "Long story short he came to owe me a few favors...That's where I use it to get a place in the MPs "

Truthfully if it wasn't for his personal vendetta against the Royalty, he might have considered joining the survey corps, but there was no way he was going to let his father's death go unavenged after his mother died his father was all he had...so the corps wasn't an option.

The MPs were moving ever closer, "So you guys are sticking with the MPs, I'm thinking about going that way too." Connie confessed.

"Let me ask you something, If you were given the order to die would you do it?" Annie asked morbidity.

"What? Of course not.," he replied.

"Well, then my advice is to do what's best for you. What about you Armin?"

The blonde headed cadet looked downward. "I think I might if the situation truly called for it and I knew my sacrifice would save others, not that I would want to."

"So you've decided then." She said eyeing her ODM.

"I've planned to join the scouts from the start."

"Come on you to Armin?" Connie sighed putting his head down.

"I'm impressed, for a mouse you got guts ill give you that," Annie remarked.

"Heh thanks, I guess, you know I think you care more than you let on, you to Holt."

The two future MPs turned to him in question.

He continued, "Annie it's just the way you're trying to discourage us from joining the scouts, you're looking out for us. Is that why you're joining the MPs you think you can do some good there huh?"

"No not really, I just want to live, the only person I'm looking out for his myself..." She couldn't help but Inwardly roll her eyes at her response.

"Oh..." Armin looked down disappointed then looked to Chase. "What about you Holt I've seen you take chances countess times during Trost? And show compassion, especially to me..."

Chase eyed him before he spoke, he must have meant the time his squad found him on the roof just after his squad got wiped.

"I'd be lying if I said I didn't care, l but I never claimed to be a hero and I just did what everyone else was ordered to do." He stared straight ahead again, looking back in his memories of Trost, "After what I saw and experienced, I never wanna see a Titans ugly mug ever again..."

Armin gave a nod in understanding, "I wish you both the best of luck."

"Chase gave him a sad smirk, "Likewise Armin."

The MPs rounded on him and picked up the clipboard, "ok next."

Chase stood at attention, "Chase Holt, I was captain of squad 36 sir."

"When was the last time you maintenanced your main housing?"

"Last time was about a week ago sir, after the cleanup."

The MPs viewed his gear, "hmm, cords and spools are tight, well maintained. He's clear." The female jotted a few things down on a clipboard and they moved on.

XXX

It was dusk, they all stood in the courtyard of the reception HQ.

After the inspection, everyone in the 104th passed _. 'It was stupid to think the killer was in the cadets anyway.'_

Everyone was in groups waiting for the procession to begin. He sat with his back on a wall, _'Ok, you did it, you made it. You passed basic, found a way into the MPs, survived the cluster fuck that was Trost. The next step is getting in the upper echelons of the MPs till you serve his royal majesty, then you kill him and that's, that.'_

After that Chase didn't give a flying fuck what would happen, he would either get executed or die in the maw of a Titan, either way, he would have his revenge. For this father and all the people who died horribly under the direction of the king.

Jean walked up to them and Armin spoke. "Jean, are you really going to join the scouts?"

"Yeah;" was his simple reply.

"Woah are you serious, I mean aren't you scared?" Sasha asked in worry.

"Huh, yeah, of course, I'm scared; I'm not an idiot here."

"Then why are you joining the scouts?" Connie asked.

The future horse-faced scout replied, "because I am scared of the Titans and I wanna do something about it!"

"Jean for the record I think this is what Marco would do, I wish you weren't, I really do, but at the end of the day it's your choice," Chase announced.

Jean looked to him, "Holt you've been a good friend, all of you, but listen I know joining the scouts isn't for everyone. I won't guilt trip you, unlike a certain suicidal maniac..."

Connie huffed, "Eren huh. I guess he's been a scout for a while now hasn't he?"

An officer broke the group from their conversation, "Cadets fall in, head over to the platform time to make your choice move it!"

Jean turned to them, "at the end of the day there is nothing anyone can say to persuade you into risking your life, and that goes for me too. Know that the choice is all mine," he turned and walked off.

After giving each other looks they joined him.

The surviving cadets of the 104th gathered in front of the survey corps commander, Erwin Smith.

"Good evening cadets."

They all rendered salute, "evening sir!"

"I am Erwin Smith commander of the survey corps, let's cut to the chase, the scouts need you, we need all the warm bodies we can get. After the recent Titan attack, you know the horrors in which they are capable as well as the limits of your own skill. However, after the aftermath of this battle, it gave humanity a new chance of victory, I'm referring to Eren Yeager, after risking life and limp he has proven his unwavering loyalty to our cause. Hope lives in him, he just didn't help deter the Titan invasion, he has offered us the means to discern the truth of their origin!"

The crowd of cadets gasped in surprise, and many were in shock. Chase raised an eyebrow, 'their origin?'

"Intel suggests that Eren's cellar, under his home in Shiganshina holds a valuable secret regarding our enemy. We will form an expedition to find this secret, find it and use it to break free from the Titan's tyrannical 100-year rule once and for all."

Cadets all around him mused on what the commander said, Chase looked over to Annie and her expression caught him by surprise. Her eyes were narrowed as if deep in thought.

The Scout's commander continued, "Before we can attain this secret there is another problem we must address, and that's sealing up the hole in wall Maria."

Two scouts walked up, holding a large roll of paper with plans and markings on it.

"Of course this is easier said than done, now that the gate in trust has been rendered inaccessible we are forced to stage future operations from Karanes District. Thus the battalion route we spent the last four years establishing is now completely useless to us. Over those four years, we endured losses exceeding 60 percent. 60 percent in four years, that's a horrifying figure. One month from now we will conduct a recon mission outside the walls, recruits from your rank will be expected to take part. I estimate a third of them will die, after four years most will be dead."

More murmurs and gasps followed his statement. 'I'm no officer but I don't think this is a way to recruit into your ranks..' Chase thought, looking back up at commander Erwin.

"Those who endure will be some of the most capable soldiers alive. Now hearing this dismal state of affairs those who still wish to put their lives on the line and Join us remain here, but first if ask yourself, can you give your heart; can you give everything for humanity!?"

There was silence in the crowd of shocked cadets, most were taking in the info they were given and others were stilling themselves for what was to come.

"That is all, those who wish to join other regiments are now dismissed."

Cadets began to walk away leaving those who were brave or crazy enough to join the scouts behind. Chase to tuned to Jean who's mind was in turmoil, he placed a hand on the tall cadet's shoulder and patted it a few times.

Jean shook anxiety taking hold of him, he looked up to Chase witch gave him a sincere nod. Chase looked to the others and silently bid them farewell before catching up with Annie and the others.

XXX

"Attention!"

The file of newly instated MPs snapped to as the MP Sergeant looked them over. He was a tall light-skinned man with a beard and a large scar going down the length of his face.

"Welcome rookies to the Stohess District precinct. I am MP Sergeant Riddle, first we will assign you your dorms the place you will be living for the remainder of your posting in this precinct. Mind you this is a gender-separated barracks."

Annie and Chase exchanged a look while the bearded MP cleared his throat and read off a clipboard.

"Hitch Dreyse, Annie Leonhart, you will be bunkmates."

The Sergeant paired off the soldiers till he reached Chase.

"Chase Holt, Marlo Freudenburg You will be Bunkmates...looks like that's on people, on dismissal you will take your belongings and get familiar with your rooms, you have leave for the rest of the night to tour the headquarters and familiarize yourself with the place you will be serving at.

Finishing the pairings he dismissed the new MPs and they went about their tasks.

When Chase got to his dorm he saw a tall MP with a bowl cut..."So your Marlo?" He asked.

The ridged boy nodded, "yes and you must be Chase?"

Nodding Chase threw his bag on the bottom bunk, "you guessed it."

"Wait like Holt? Chase Holt the cadet that got swallowed by a Titan and lived." Mario asked.

"Ugh...y-yeah.. that's me." Chase replied anxiously.

"It's a miracle you're alive..."

Chase held a hand up, "believe me, Marlo I know better than anyone. But if this is gonna work." He said gesturing to him and Marlo. "Don't bring that up...I really don't like to talk about it."

Mario nodded, "noted."

Nodding in thanks he took a seat on his bunk. They were defiantly more comfortable than the ones in basic.

"Wait was that issued?" Mario asked referring to the flint lock holstered on his chest.

Chase pulled more of his uniform jacket to cover it. "Maybe what's it to ya?"

"It's just I didn't think we could carry firearms off duty..."

"Look you're obviously stringent but this little beauty stays with me at all times..got it?" Chase implored.

Before Marlo could reply there was a knock on the door frame, the two male MPs looked up from what they were doing, Chase testing out his bed and Marlo arranging some letters and books to see who it was.

It was Annie, "Holt you got a second?" The blonde asked leaning on the door frame.

Standing Chase nodded, "yeah just a sec." He shoved his bag under the bed and smoothed out his sheets.

He closed the door was they walked out, "what's up?"

"Nothing of note, but my bunkmate is a bit annoying."

Chase chuckled, "yeah mine seems to have a stick up his ass."

They walked down a set of stairs that headed out to the courtyard.

"I wanted to ask you about the other day...the last couple of days in fact." She started as they went out the door.

Chase swallowed hard, " W-What about?"

She sighed as they settled under a tree, leaning on the trunk she asked her question. "You've been acting weird lately ever since Trost, tell me I wanna help."

Chase shifted his gaze to the setting sun before answering, "I've been seeing things like hallucinations, visions? I don know.

Annie's eyes softened in concern, " What are they about the Titans?"

Chase forced a laugh, "If only, it's about this girl, she was in my squad..."

"She got eaten." Annie assumed.

He nodded, "Yeah, Emily Fitzpatrick, " he sighed, that's the first time he thought of her name since the battle.

"Then as you know I got swallowed and well I was with her when she died. I-I.."

Annie took his hands in hers, "it's ok you don't have to to say anymore I understand. Do you see her, now I mean?"

Chase always felt a faint presence, but he learned to suppress it for the most part, save the few times where he had his episodes, The odd thing was he didn't feel it when he was with her, as if the short blonde prevented the presence like a wall to water. He smiled, "no, not here, not now."

Annie gave one of her ever so rare smiles, "good." Her smile went as quickly as it came. "I'm sorry If I'm not the best person to be with, I should check in on you more and... It's just, I never how to act in these situations."

He cupped a hand on her cheek, "don't act, just do..." He leaned down and locked his lips in hers.

She wrapped one of her arms around the small of his back as the other palmed his chest. He pushed her against the tree as he pulled away for a second then pulled her closer and went in deeper.

This continued for another few seconds before the were interrupted by a throat clearing.

They pulled away from each other quick and saw it to be Sergeant Riddle. They both stood at attention hot red blushes on their faces.

"Well looks like we got a couple of love birds in the company, not like I care."

"S-Sorry sir we thought..." Chase was cut off by a hand.

"Next time just do it out of uniform, anyway it's time to be issued a uniform and your equipment, form up in the armory for the issue."

"Yes sir." Chase replied.

"That is all you two...good god, what the hell, is this a school or the military?" The Sergeant grumbled as he walked off.

They both gave flustered looks to one another as he walked out of sight.

"Heh..."

Annie rolled her eyes as she adjusted her uniform and walked off.

Chase sighed as he followed after her, 'sometimes I hate the military.'


	13. No Fate -13, Sharpshooter

Chase sat at his desk filing another report, about an hour ago he and another officer named Boris Feulner, were dispatched a few blocks away to a domestic dispute. On arrival, an intoxicated couple was in a heated argument that ended up with both of them going to jail. He could still hear their argument...

 _'You fucking bitch, you took my money from the dresser, I was gonna buy my booze with it!'_

 _"Oh you and your drink, you love that carbonated yeast water more than me!"_

 _"Hell yeah I do, at least to does something for me, unlike you, a fat lop of flesh that sits at home all day and waits to bitch at me once I walk through the damn door, so excuse me if I think I'm entitled to a drink every now and then!"_

 _"Oh, you're the worst you drunk bastard!"_

He chuckled as he sat the pen down, "man if that's what marriage is like, then I'm good on that." sighing he looked over the document for errors and the like. He corrected a few blunders and finished up.

'Still, the paperwork in the MPs is definitely a downside, who knew every situation you were dispatched to a pile of reports would follow...'

He made his way to Lieutenant Alblinger's office and knocked on the door.

"God damn it for the love of...uhh, enter!" A cursed reply came from the other side.

Gripping the handle Chase walked in and placed his and Boris's report on his desk before rendering a salute.

"Sir this is the report I made of the events that transpired regarding Mr. and Mrs. Trackian."

Giving Chase an annoyed look he started reading the statement. After a minute or so he nodded. "Ok Holt seems acceptable, now if you would kindly leave, I'm a very busy man." Ablinger said, giving an obviously fake smile.

"Sir, " the dirty blonde rendered another salute and walked out. Shutting the door behind him Chase couldn't help but roll his eyes.

' _Busy man my left nut, more like busy gambling away your pay and drinking yourself half to death.'_ He inwardly scoffed _._

Making his way down to the mess he grabbed a tray and picked from the food they had out as well as grabbing a hot tea.

Sitting down he began eating, occasionally flipping through a book he had brought along.

"Holt!" someone called his name from the entrance.

Chase saw it to be Sergeant Riddle, he stood, "yes sir?"

"I heard through the grapevine your a decent shot?"

Chase blinked at this, "I mean yeah I'm pretty good but..."

"Ok good, follow me." Without another word, Riddle walked out.

Standing Chase left his lunch at the table and followed after the bearded man. "Sir what's this about?" Chase asked falling in step with the man.

The duo made their way toward the armory, "we have a damn hostage situation, some asshat hyped up on coderoin. Word has it that he has a knife to a little girl's throat.

Chase grimaced, "damn, but where do I come into this?"

"The bastard is delusional, out of his mind. He won't listen to reason, so I'm gonna have you put a bullet in his head."

Chase stopped in his boots, "wait you want me to kill him?"

The Sergeant scoffed, "of course I do, what you thought I was bringing you along for you're amazing negotiating skills?" He deadpanned.

"But..." Chase started.

"You killed before what's the big deal?" The Sergeant asked.

"H-How do you know?" Chase asked confused.

"You have an extensive record solider, dating back even to your civilian life from what I have read. But none of that matters now, a girl might die today and I need you to help."

Chase nodded his head, "Ok sir, I'll try."

He nodded, and they continued to the armory. Once they reached Chase was issued a rifle with spare ammo.

After obtaining what they needed they walked over to a carriage filled with two other MPs. "I'm not gonna lie to you this might get messy, you need to be prepared for the worst-case scenario, clear?" Riddle asked as they piled in.

Chase adjusted the rifle on his back and nodded, "got it sir."

XXX

"Get the fuck away from me, I'll slit the little bitch's throat I swear!" A man held a girl at knifepoint as MPs aimed at him with ODM blades and rifles alike.

"Let the girl go, sir, I don't have to be like this," a female MP corporal said trying to quell the man's rage.

"Let my girl go you bastard, this is between you and me, NOT her!" A man who Chase assumed to be her father yelled struggling against some MPs that were holding a line of civilians back.

"This way..." Riddle said as he and Chase snuck around to some buildings that were across from the hostage situation.

Chase clambered up a fruit cart and carefully tossed his rifle atop the roof.

"Sir I need a boost." He called down and the older MP climbed up and cupped his hands as a step for Chase.

With a grunt, Chase lifted himself up and quickly got into a prone position overlooking the scene.

"I told you to get the fuck back!" the crazed man pressed the blade closer to the girl's throat causing the soft skin beneath to split open and blood to trickle out.

Shaking Chase tried still himself, he closed one eye and aimed down the sight.

 _'You'll miss just like you did before...'_

Shifting his gaze Chase looked over to his side and saw Emily there, sat cross-legged one hand held her chin, and the other picked at a crack in the roof's shingles. She looked back up to him and smugly sneered.

 _'Don't you remember? You missed that deer, which meant there was no food in the house for days, weeks. Yeah, the old man said he wasn't disappointed but deep down you knew he was. I mean if my kid got to eat but I had to go hungry, just because he couldn't shoot a damn deer I would be_ _too_.'

Unknowingly Chase thought back to that time when his family didn't eat for almost a week, for a week they gnawed on jerky and nuts, while his father got up at the crack of dawn to go hunting just to come back at night empty-handed. He couldn't help but feel it was his fault...and it was. All because he missed a damn shot.

The girl's cries stirred him out of his recollections, gritting his teeth Chase snarled, "Shut up." He aimed down the sight once more.

The apparition continued _,_ as Chase lined up the shot.

 _'And who can forget the time you weren't fast enough to save that girl...what was her name?'_ She said a finger to her chin in mock forgetfulness.

Chase steadied his breath trying his best to ignore Emily.

 _'Oh yeah...Kate'_

Chase sighed as he remembered the face of that girl as she bled out in Rita's arms. "Damn you, " he said softly,

Emily shrugged coyly, _'doomed to walk the earth, it seems like I'm already dammed. At least till you die of course.'_

Shaking his head he closed his eye over the sights, "fuck you, Emily Fitzpatrick.." a sharp shot rang out as he squeezed the trigger and the lead ball went flying into the man's left eye.

He opened his eye as the man fell backward a shocked expression on his face. Letting the rifle rest down in his arms he took a second to see the girl ran into arms of her mother and father and his comrades moved to secure the body. Smirking he looked over to see Emily was gone.

'And stay gone...' he thought getting ready to stand.

"Please people move back we need room.." An MP said as others started to clear the area of people.

Standing he snatched the rifle he was issued and made his way down where he came from. Waiting on him was a grinning Sergeant Riddle.

"Officer Holt you did good son, right in the eye! A clean shot if I ever saw one."

Leaping off the fruit stand he landed his booted feet pounding the stone ground. He shrugged, "guess I'm just a good shot, sir."

"From that far away most officers couldn't hit a damn Titan, who taught you if you don't mind me asking. You're training file states you were marksmen, so I know you didn't learn that in basic?"

The duo walked passed the scene and Chase took a sec to look over his work before answering. "Where I was from my dad was an expert hunter and outdoorsman he taught me; how to hunt, how to shoot and how to reload in record time."

Riddle nodded before he stopped, "to be completely honest Holt I sought you out of desperation, the precinct's designated Marksman was in the drink playing cards at some tub when this went down, on duty might I add. The bastard couldn't stand let alone aim and fire a rifle. So frantically I skimmed through a couple of files under Marksmanship scores and low and behold you were the best candidate." The bearded man folded his hands behind his back. "So officer I have a question for you, I'm offering you a position as the newly designated sharpshooter in the Precinct. So what do you say?"

Chase looked down in thought, a higher Echelon in the military police was always good, a smirk crept across. After all, it was one step closer to becoming apart of the interior police, one step closer to killing the king. He looked back up to the MP Sergeant who was waiting expectedly.

"Sir it would be an honor."

Riddle smirked as he shook the new marksman's hand. "Congratulations welcome to the Stohess District response group. Your new job will consist of responding to situations quite similar to this one, and it goes without saying you will be expected to continue with your ordinary duties until a crisis like this is reported."

Chase snapped a quick salute, "of course sir."

"I have a feeling you'll save many lives soldier, get back to HQ I'll clean up here and once I get back I'll take care of the paperwork."

Chase nodded before he spoke up again. "Oh and Sergeant, what did you mean about my file earlier?

Riddle shrugged, "Like I said I just skimmed it mostly for the marksmanship scores, It said something on how you prevented a kidnap attempt on a Noble. I didn't get to read it all but that's all I got from it."

Chase nodded, "good to know sir, I'll be going." The Sergeant nodded as Chase made his way to the waiting MP carriage.

'We're one step closer dad, who thought your teachings would be the instrument of you're revenge.'

XXX

Annie stood guard outside the HQ gate, she held her rifle at rest as she watched others walk in and out of the facility. She couldn't help but yawn.

"Uhhh, why did they put us on sentry detail, it's one of the most boring postings there is..." The girl next to her; 'Hitch,' complained.

Annie side glanced at the brunette woman. To say she was annoying would be an understatement, it almost seemed like not a second passed by that she didn't whine.

It stayed like that for another ten minutes or so before an MP carriage rolled up, out stepped a few MPs one of which was Chase.

She cocked her eyebrow in question, why was he with a special response team? A corporal patted him on the shoulder as he stepped off.

They spoke pleasantries that she couldn't hear before he walked up to them, adjusting the sling of the rife that was on his shoulder.

They made eye contact before he presented her with his ID book. "Annie, I was wondering when you get off shift do you wanna hit up the square for a while, spend a little of our pay?" He asked as she handed his identification back to him.

She smirked, "sure I guess, but you mind telling me why you were with a special response team?"

He cocked an eyebrow, "Is that an official inquiry or just a personal one?"

She shrugged, "maybe a little of both?"

Chase nodded, "fair enough, Riddle wanted me for a hostage situation and it turns out I delivered. You're looking at the newly appointed Marksman for the Stohess Precinct."

Annie let a genuine smile slide, "rising up the ranks are we?"

Chase smiled pocketing his ID, "See you in a bit." With that, he continued inside to presumingly turn in his weapon.

Hitch looked at her knowingly, so let me guess that's your boyfriend?"

Annie's small smile quickly faded, she gave Hitch a blank expression. "No he's a friend, I've known him since training."

Hitch snickered, "Yeah and I'm the royal Queen, still you?" She pouted, "some men don't have a real taste in women..."

Annie glared at her, 'what was that supposed to mean?' She turned back and stood at rest with her rifle once again as she started thinking. 'Were they; boyfriend and girlfriend? Of course she had feelings for him and she imagined he had the same but it was never really made 'official.' That was mostly due to her insisting to keep their relationship hidden from Reiner and Bertholdt.'

She took a moment to survey a couple walking down the footpath most likely on their way home, she tucked a tuft of hair behind her ear before returning to her musings, 'then again, they aren't are they?' For years she told herself the relationship she had with him was merely a cover for the mission but Trost made her realize how much he meant to her, and that caught the unwanted attention from Reiner and Bertholdt. A shiver went down her spine when she recalled Bertholdt's words.

 _'The same will happen to Holt if you don't distance yourself, nothing good can come_ of making friends with these people...'

She inwardly scolded herself, he was right as much as Annie didn't want to agree with it. She had a mission and she would let nothing stand in her path if Chase got in her way she would kill him like anyone else...

She frowned as she felt the rings in her front pocket, no she would subdue him if possible, he deserves that much. A warm blush formed on her cheeks. He deserves better than her, he was the only one in these damn walls that made her feel like a real girl, treated her like one, cared for her and what would he get in return?

'Death.'

They wanted everyone behind these walls dead Chase was no exception, he was an Eldian, a devil. She never really believed that, to begin with, could someone like Chase, Christa, Jean...Marco. She bit her lower lip to hold back a tear of guilt, she bit so hard it felt like she would puncture the skin.

No, they weren't devils, she wasn't a devil. They were just people, living their lives till...they came knocking. Maybe she could convince him to join them, join the warrior program or become one of Marley's best snipers, she smiled in thought.

He would love the modern bolt action rifle, If he was good with one of these things, she looked down to the rifle she was still holding at rest. He would be a force of nature with a modern firearm. She stood at attention along with Hitch as a group of intoxicated looking officers walked passed them into the HQ, she didn't even bother with checking out their ID or rendering a salute.

She looked back at the rifle again, he would surely become a special forces candidate and maybe even become a warrior candidate...inherit a Titan. Then with the years she had left, she would introduce him to her father, she frowned again, who was she kidding? Reiner and Bertholdt would never accept that, let alone the Marley government, it was just a pipe dream, nothing more.

She looked forward determinedly, one thing was for certain; she would see her father again, no matter the price.

XXX

Chase finished buttoning up his white shirt and smoothing out the creases in his tan trousers. That's one thing he liked about the MP regiment. They paid him enough to finally buy quality clothing and shoes. Only a week in and he had enough funds to buy a quality outfit to stroll the town with, tonight he planned on grabbing a drink at one of the local taverns, he recalled seeing one on the carriage ride out to the hostage incident, hopefully Annie wasn't too tired for such affairs.

He dabbed a little cologne on before combing his hair back with a fresh coat of pomade. He finished up looking himself over in the mirror, he frowned when the X shaped scar became noticeable on his face. 'Heh, Rita was right, this isn't affecting my chances with the ladies.' He shook his head in laughter as he dried his hand on a towel and walked out of the bathrooms.

He opened the door to his dorm and found Marlo setting at the desk, he wrote on a piece of paper which he assumed to be a letter. Chase started putting away his toiletries before speaking up.

"Writing a letter Marlo, got a girl, family?"

Marlo looked up from his writings, "the latter actually, it's to my parents and younger brother." After adding a few bits of punctuation and crossing out a word or two he looked up at Chase. "What about you, got any family?"

Chase nodded slowly, "sort of, my real family died, my mother by Titans and my father by the 'reclaiming' of Wall Maria." He said in air quotes.

Marlo shook his head slowly "that's unfortunate, I'm sorry."

Chase shrugged "don't be, I have two people I consider family members in Wall Rose, it ain't all bad."

"Good to hear, by the way i'll be out tonight pulling a extra shift for some lazy degenerate. I swear once I'm in the higher echelons things are going to change." With that Marlo continued with his compositions.

After finishing his last preparations he grabbed the pistol from his shoulder sling and stuffed it down in the back of his pants then walked out the door.

He made his way toward the female section of the barracks heading toward Annie's room. He damn near had the path memorized from his visits.

 _'Having fun tonight?'_

Chase frowned before he turned and found Emily leaning against a wall, this time she wasn't bloodied or looked like she'd been through a meat grinder. Her eyes while still dead had color to them instead of the usual black pits. Still, he couldn't help but sigh. "Just as things were going well, hello Emily good to see you again, here to nag me of my in pending doom or perhaps bring up old wounds from the past?"

Surprisingly she chuckled at that, he raised an eyebrow before she spoke.

 _'You know me so well, no just figured you needed some company on you're lonesome stroll. Marco says hi...'_

That stopped Chase in his tracks, a look of red hot anger took hold of his features. "Tell me if you really are a spirit and not some fucked up figment of my imagination, how did Marco die, how did he go out, huh?"

The Phantom looked at him knowingly, then just shrugged.

 _'Like how everyone else died, by a Titan...'_

Chase let out a cackle, "See, see? You're not real, you're just a damn vision!"

In a blink of an eye, she stood next to him on his side next to his ear. He took a step back out of surprise but she just leaned closer.

 _'Real or not I'm here with you till the day you die...'_ She tilted her head then a low moan sounded from her lips. A high raspy moan it sounded like nails on a chalkboard.

"S-Shut up!" Chase covered his ears in a vain attempt to block out the demon's screech. Her head shifted back and forth wildly.

Chase did the only thing he could think of, he ran. He heard her laughter as he continued to distance himself from it.

'Why is no one around when I need them!'

 _'You will never be rid of meee!'_

He ran to the door of Annie's dorm, reached for the handle opened it and flew in slamming it behind him. His heavy breaths now filled the room and the ghoul's laughter ceased all at once.

Letting out a sign of relief, he looked up just to have his breath hitch. A hot blush grew on his face.

Annie stood there half-naked, the only thing she wore was her white hoodie and a pair of panties. She held a hair tie in her mouth and looked to be in the middle of putting her damp hair up.

"Uhhh, s-sorry, " He said entranced.

She just looked back at him shocked at his sudden entrance and a brush cultivated on her cheeks as well, her surprised bright blue eyes looking him up and down.

He fumbled for the door knob, and kept missing it. After the third try it clicked open and he stepped out without another word.

He sighed leaning on the wall adjacent to her door.

'Great now I'm a perv, all because I can't keep my mental clarity in check. Still, damn what a sight.'

Soon Annie exited locking the door behind her. Like him, she had on her civilian attire which consisted of her white hoodie, teal pants, and calf-high boots. She gave him a light-hearted glare before crossing her arms. "So mind telling me what that was about?"

Chase ran a hand through his hair before answering, "I really didn't mean to do that it's just...my visions again..."

Her smirk vanished and what replaced it was a look of concern. "It's not getting any better?"

His eyes looked to the floor while he answered, "no, not really, I still see her especially when I'm alone...this latest incident was terrifying to say the least."

"That's why you ran in without knocking? I just figured you were just hoping to see something." She said taking the edge off.

He smiled at this, "you know I love when you're like this, that not to say I don't like your usual joyful self, " he said playfully.

She just rolled her eyes, "so where are we going?"

"I was thinking of grabbing a drink, I saw this pub today right before I blew this guys brains from his skull, sound good?"

Annie gave him a playful scrutinizing gaze, "If it didn't, I would of done told you to fuck off wouldn't I?"

"Fair enough."

X-X-X

"I'll take the broccoli ramen and a beer..." Chase said eyeing the more expensive meat containing items on the menu. He had his military wage but he wasn't just going to spend a week's worth of pay on it, no matter now much he wanted too.

Annie eyed the paper up and down before giving up and handing it to the waiter, "I'll take the same but with a limeade."

"It will be out shortly." Without another word the man walked off into the kitchen.

"So anything exciting happen to you today?" he asked rubbing the back of his hand.

Annie shook her head, "not much just got posted on guard duty with...Hitch."

Chase smirked, "her huh. Is she really annoying and self-centered as everyone says?"

Annie rolled her eyes that's not the half of it, I can't think of a time I didn't hear her bitch or complain, I mean she acts like a Sina hearess or something."

"I bet she didn't even make it in the top 10 of her division. Someone she knows in the nobility or higher ups got her the position."

Annie scoffed, "yeah not like some people..."

Chase threw his hands up, "hey there's a difference I was 11th Annie, 11th. This close!" He said guesturing with his fingers.

"Relax I know, I was only kidding." She said as the drinks were sat on the table.

"You kidding? What is this a alternative reality?"

Annie shot him a look before taking a sip of her drink.

"Anyway, I was meaning to ask you, you stay in contact with Reiner and some of the others right, How they doing?"

"Fine not much to report on that front,"

Chase raised an eyebrow, "nothing, you are from the same village right?"

"Yes...?" She said slowly.

"Don't get me wrong but I would figure you'd have more to say, they are your, our friends."

She scratched the palm of her hand nervously, _'yeah I have more to say but none of it is good_...'

"Hey what was the name of your village anyway?"

Annie's heart skipped a beat...

'What the hell since when was he an interrogator?' She said the first thing that came to mind.

"Uhh, Marcel. Marcel Village."

Chase sipped his beer thoughtfuly before replying, "Marcel? Never heard of it."

"I-Its southeast of wall Maria..."

Chase looked thoughtfuly before answering.

This is it, oh God why, why of all things being this up?! She bit her lip nervously as she thought back to the old man's story they misappropriated for their own cover, Bertholdt's words echoed in her head.

 _'Nothing good came come from befriending these people...'_

His words cut through her thoughts like a knife, "Huh must be wayy out there in the sticks then."

"C-Chase can we please stop talking about this? It brings back bad memories..." That wasn't a lie at least not completely, the image of Marcel getting devoured sent shivers down her spine.

Chase's expression soffened, "Yeah I'm sorry I was just trying to make conversation," He reached over and stroked the top of her hand thoughtfuly.

"It's fine..." She looked away from him as the food got sat at their table. An awkward silence loomed over them as they ate.

The food for the most part was fine considering it was from a bar. But it lacked in the bulk that meat provided.

Chase spoke finally cutting the silence, "I can honestly say I miss meat, I was raised on it after all. My Mom made the best venison stew and chili this side of wall Maria. You ever have it, venison?"

Annie shook her head, "no my family just raised pigs and cattle for the most part..." Her thoughts drifted to the rotten carcasses of those animals in the internment zone. If they were lucky they could of cut around the rott and make a decent meal of it, on the other hand it could make you deathly ill.

"I'll take you sometime to a wooded area and we'll hunt some. I mean if you want?" Chase offered taking another bite.

She smiled, "I would actually like that."

"I'll make us a good meal, just whatever you do don't tell Potat- Sasha. She would devoure it in a second."

Annie chucked as she thought of Sasha shoving spoon fulls in her mouth and Chase looking on in shock and then annoyance.

"So about Eren..."

A stern expression crossed her face, "yeah what about him?"

"I heard him Mikasa and ol Armin are doing fine, heh still can't believe that suicidal shit is a Titan...I mean what do you make of that?"

She shifted her gaze down at the table as he continued.

"Are we all Titans just like him or is it more complicated than that?"

' _Eren, that moron if they had only knew it was him from the beginning, they could of been out of this place and long gone. All those nights of her sneaking out to spy in the interior of wall Rose and almost getting caught wasted...' She glanced back up to Chase. If he only knew_ _... ignorance really is bliss.'_

"I wouldn't Know..." She replied poking her food.

They talked the rest of the meal and soon left making their way back to the HQ.

"You know my bunkmate Marlo? He's not gonna be there tonight so I was wondering..."

"If you could get in my pants?" She asked sardonically.

"N-No! Well yeah but I wouldn't put it that way..."

Annie looked away from him, "You're an Idiot you know that?"

Chase stammered his words, "I-I think..."

"Ok..." Annie said cutting him off.

He paused, "w-wait really?"

She crossed her arms, "what are we waiting for I said ok."

"R-Right yeah...let's go."

As they continued to the HQ she was inwardly in turmoil. _'This is finally happening? She the female Titan, one of Marley's best, the very being that called all the Titans to the walls and helped doom Paradise was about to have sex... no matter how good she was in fighting, no matter how well she trained nothing could prepare her for this._ '

Something perfectly natural for a normal girl to feel right? She could only hope so.

X-X-X

Chase unlocked the door to his dorm and they walked in, and just as Marlo said he wasn't there.

Annie sat on his bunk and undid her hair letting it fall past her shoulders. Chase turned to her and their eyes met, icy blue locked with hazel green. He took a seat next to her on his bed and they. just stared at each other for what seemed like hours till he broke the selience.

"Heh... haven't really done this befo-!" He was abruptly cut off as she pressed her lips into his, he relaxed and leaned into her holding her close.

She pulled back making a loud _'pop!'_ "Just shut up and Kiss me you moron..."

With no other invitation needed her pushed her back on the bed and got to work. He tugged at her hoodie trying to gain access to the pale skin underneath.

She pulled the garment and threw it toward the dorms desk it knocking over a cup of pencils, pens and a row of books.

Kissing his way up her slender form he stopped at her neck and gave it a peck before chuckleing.

"Marlo won't be pleased with you..."

Rolling her eyes she began undressing further, so did he.

When it was said and done their clothes laid strewn haphazardly across the floor.

He placed more kisses on her neck and under her earlope. She letting out gasps and giggles all the while.

He pulled away as she wrapped her arms around his bulky form. She looked at him and he at her.

"I love you... d-do you love me?" Uncertainty lined his words.

She blinked at this, surprised.

Could she say the same, was all this just a cover and a outlet for her personal needs? After All it wasn't like she had much of a early teenage life.

All she knew was for a moment, for one moment she wasn't the female Titan, she wasn't a warrior for Marley or a soldier of the Walls. She was a girl, a girl who was with a boy doing the normalist thing she had ever done in her life.

So did she?

"Of course I love you...idiot."

 _'I only wish things were different...'_


End file.
